White Devil
by DarkSuki
Summary: A six year girl dressed up as a boy was abandoned into a merciless family that tortures her. On the night she leaves for the Hunter Exam, a famous group of thieves murders her adoptive family. She's determined to get stronger in order to survive and figure out the the truth of her past. Warning: Blood&Gore. Slow Romance. OCxKilluaxKurapikaxHisoIlluxGeneiRyodan
1. Chapter 1: I Am Sai x And x Abandonment

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH, only my OC's and any plots that happen to fill in the blanks of the original story.

My first HXH story. Please be gentle. Oh, and I really like my characters being bloodied up. Hope you don't mind~

 **WARNING:** For blood and gore. o3o

* * *

Chapter 1: I Am Sai x And x Abandonment

* * *

"Ne Saki, no I mean...Sai, you remember what I told you, right?" The woman turned around. She kneeled down on one leg and faced the little girl. She placed both of her hands on her tiny shoulders and unconsciously squeezed. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes gleamed with worry.

"Hai, okaa-san!" chirped Sai. She looked at her mother with a pair of confident teal colored eyes, trying to reassure her. She had no idea what was bothering her mother. All they were doing was visiting her relatives at night.

Her mother sighed and brushed her knee as she stood up. She took Sai's left hand and began to walk again, tension still written on her face. Her grip was unusually strong.

Sai looked straight ahead while walking in silence. _Maybe they're mean relatives._ She looked at her new pair of shiny black dress shoes with a matching black suit. _Men's_ suit. Tailored for a six year old body. A breeze tickled her ears, now sensitive from her newly cut hair. Just a few hours ago, her mother hastily chopped off her medium length white hair into a length just above her shoulders. Her now short hair framed around her face and it was parted on the right side, causing a frequent curtain of hair covering her left eye.

She didn't mind dressing up as a boy. After all, she did it quite frequently whenever she would run errands outside with her mother. She knew it was for protection purposes.

Her mother's sudden stop broke her out of her thoughts. They were in front of a pair of large golden gates. The gate was probably several meters high, lined with pointed metal bars. A plaque of gold caught her eyes next to the gate.

 _ **NOSTRADE**_. The name was engraved in elegant letters. As Sai looked at her mother, the gates automatically swung inwards.

Her mother had a paled face now. Stiffening again, she walked forward towards the source of the bright light, the mansion. They passed a intricately designed water fountain. Loud splashes of water filled the air with noise. The smiling cherub statues almost look like they were grinning with malice from the shadows casted on their faces. Sai shivered as she held her breath, trying to brave through her fears.

The mansion had four guards at the entrance. All of them pointed their rifles at the approaching sound of footsteps. Spotlights were suddenly aimed on top of them.

Sai squinted at the sudden exposure to light, covering the back of her hand to her eyes.

"Follow me." One of the guards said curtly, and turned to head into the mansion. The other guards didn't lower their rifles as they followed the mother daughter pair inside.

Now beginning to understand her mother's nervousness, Sai swallowed hard and found it hard to breathe. She felt her mother's clammy hand against her own sweaty palm.

They were walking on a seemingly never ending red carpet, trimmed with gold tassels. Sai could feel how plush the carpet was as her shoes slightly sunk into it with every step. It seemed like it was ages before they were finally brought to a pair of double doors. The guard knocked.

"Come in," spoke a muffled male voice from inside the room. The double doors opened.

The crystal chandelier in the middle of the room was as big as a bathtub, as Sai compared it to the biggest thing they owned, shining brilliantly as if it was showing off its own grandeur. The room was probably as big as their house. A soft melody of a viola sung in the background and the cozy aroma of coffee calmed her nerves. She suddenly noticed a man sitting on the couch when she heard the clink of the teacup as he placed it on the table.

"Well, well...I didn't expect to see you so soon," the man said with a small smile. He had a moustache and his blackish grey hair was neatly combed back. Sai crinkled her nose from the pungent smell of his aftershave as they walked closer to the man. The deep wrinkle lines on his forehead made Sai sure that he was way older than her mother.

"Are you here to pay me back?" he slowly asks.

Sai quickly looked at her mother. Surely they weren't in that much of a predicament that she had to borrow money!

"Light…I come with an offer," her mother began hesitantly.

"Oh? Surely you don't think you're in a position to offer anything, do you?" Light replied, slightly chuckling. "But please continue, I would like to hear what you have to offer."

Before her mother could continue, the doors were burst open. A young looking girl, maybe just a few years older than Sai, marched in. She was wearing a formfitting black lace dress with a square neckline. She wore a pair of black laced gloves and had on black laced tights that emphasized her dainty legs. She looked upset.

"Papa! How come only Neon got a present from the auction!" she exclaimed, not caring that there were unfamiliar faces in the room.

"Mio! Where are your manners!" Light said, glaring at her.

Mio glanced at the guests and huffed with frustration. Not looking at them, she quickly curtsied.

"Ah, Mio ojou-chan...long time no see," Sai's mother said smiling weakly, slightly surprised by Mio's sudden outburst.

"Obachan? Is that you? Why are you wearing tatters? You dressed better before," Mio said carelessly glancing at her, sticking up her nose in disgust.

"Mio!" Light started angrily.

"Ah it's alright, it's alright...Say Mio ojou-chan, could you go play with Sai outside? I have some important things to talk to your Papa."

Mio placed her hands on her hips.

"But Papa-"

"Mio...Now!," Light said, cutting her off.

Mio stomped her feet and stormed out of the room. Sai glanced at her mother. And only did she receive a nod from her mother did she follow Mio out of the room. The doors closed behind them.

"That stupid Papa! Always gives Neon what she wants because she has her stupid ability!" Mio screamed, knocking down a vase of flowers that was displayed in the hallway. Her waist length black hair swung wildly behind her. She slammed opened the door to another room down the hall and Sai followed suit.

"Ano...Mio...ojou-sama… don't you have an ability too?" Sai said, trying to be nice.

Mio plops down on the sofa and kicked her legs on the table.

"Only my stupid sister does. That's why I think my mom and I are outcasts in this family," Mio stated matter-of-factly. She starts picking at her nails.

"But your mom is your sister's too-"

"Her mother died. My mother's her stepmother."

"Oh…"

Mio suddenly stared at Sai. She looked from her face to her clothes and grinned.

"What's your name... and how old are you?" Mio asks, approaching Sai and touching a strand of Sai's hair that was covering her left eye.

"I'm Sai and I'm six years old...," Sai replies, slightly blushing from the sudden contact.

"You're so cute Sai… But I'm ten years old so I'm older than you. So you have to do what I say."

As Sai nods, her mother enters the room. Light enters behind her.

"Sai...I want you to hold onto this. Okaa-san's going to find someone for a few days and I want you to stay here with Uncle Light, okay?" she said.

Sai felt something smooth and cold being shoved in her hands. It was a small box with metal strips around it. There were strange symbols on the metal that she found really strange. She shook the box but no sound came out of it. It seemed like an empty box.

"I'll be back soon, Sai…" her mother said smiling, placing her hand on Sai's head for awhile. Then she quickly walked out of the room. Unbeknownst to Sai, it would be the last time she would see her mother again.

"Okay Sai, your mother has asked me to take care of you while she's gone, so you're going to live with us for a while, okay?" Light explained. "You need some kind of identity in our household...Hmm. let's see, why don't you become an apprentice butler for now? Then we'll figure something out that's better later."

Sai nodded. It didn't matter what she was. Boy or girl. Her mother's going to come back soon anyways.

"Ne~ Papa. Can I have Sai? We just became friends just now!" Mio said.

"Just be nice, Mio."

"Arigatou Papa!" Mio ran to hug Light. Mio turned her head and smiled at Sai, but this time, Sai caught a glimpse of unfriendliness in her eyes.

"You guys have fun with each other. I'll be in my study upstairs doing some work," Light said to both of them and exited himself. When the door closed, Mio took Sai by the hand and sat down on the sofa.

"Say Sai... you know what I wanted from the auction?" Mio asks, suddenly dropping her smile into a more serious one.

Sai shook her head.

"I saw it on the catalog. It's name is Dancer of the Dark. It had bright blue and purple eyes, and long golden hair. They say that if you see its full dance, you'll be so lucky that your wishes would come true!" Mio sighed breathlessly, full of excitement. "I really want it to be in my collection...Neon collects stupid dead things, but that's just useless. It's only the alive ones that matter, so I only collect the ones that are alive."

Sai couldn't say anything from shocking facts that she revealed about herself. _The auction sold people? Mio collects people?_

"Ne Sai~ I would love to add you to my collection too," Mio said, leaning closer to Sai with an evil grin. "Just your looks are enough for me."

Sai started to back up. As Mio reaches for her, Sai accidentally pushed Mio a little too hard out of shock. Mio ends up falling on the floor with a gasp. She felt a trickle of warm liquid down her right cheek. She shakily touches her wet cheek and widens her eyes to see a smear of blood. Mio's cheek had been punctured by the sharp corner of the glass coffee table when she fell. Sai had her eyes widen with shock as well, but Mio started screaming her head off before she could say anything.

"GUARDS! THROW HIM IN THE BASEMENT RIGHT NOW!" Mio screamed.

The guards burst through the door and roughly pushed Sai out. Her arms were painfully pinned to her back as her head was suddenly bagged up. The sudden loss of sight scared her and her steps became slower. She tripped several times on her way down, only to be gruffly dragged upright again.

 _Okaa-san...where are you? Why aren't you back yet?_ Sai desperately thought.

Sai noticed that they were probably arrived at the basement. The plush carpet floor was no longer present, only to be replaced with a cobblestone floor. The damp, cold air rushed at her body. She felt herself being lifted by her wrists. She heard chains being wrapped around each of her wrists and took off the bag off her head. She was being hung several feet off the ground by the chains on her wrists. The cold metal was painfully digging into her skin, due to the weight of her body pulling her downwards. Sai quickly darted her eyes around her surrounding. It was a dark room made of stone, lit up by a few candles. There was a shelf near the door that displayed a variety of weapons, such as tongs, whips and a couple of sharp objects. There was also a fireplace, a shoddy looking table, and a barrel full of murky water. This was no ordinary basement; this was a torture room.

As she saw Mio enter the room, she knew what was going to happen. Mio had a gauze on her right cheek now, but her expression was full of rage. She took the nearest weapon off the shelf: a whip. She closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself for the pain that's to come.

* * *

 _4 Hours Later~_

Mio was panting hard. She kept whipping Sai for the past four hours but Sai didn't make a sound. Sai was stripped of her blazer and shoes, only wearing the white dress shirt and black dress pants, or at least what was left of it. The whip had slashed countless holes in her clothes, revealing red stains on her shirt at the opening of each wound. Her skin was covered in dark red lines that oozed with blood. Her chest was obviously fully exposed as well, but for a six year old body, it looked no different compared to a boy's. After the first hour of Sai's silence, Mio had ordered the guards to dump a bag of salt into the barrel of water. Her head hung from being unconscious every so often, but every time Sai fell unconscious, she would be only awakened again from impact of the cold water and feel the immense burning sensation of pain all over her body.

Sai was determined not to make a sound, as she thought it would bring her mother more trouble if she did. After all, this was a punishment. Her expression was blank and she tried to control it as so. Her damp hair clung to her face and conveniently covered her eyes from revealing the immense pain she was currently feeling. Sai could feel and taste the sticky metallic liquid in her mouth. She had bit the insides of her cheek to avoid screaming in pain several times.

Mio lowered her whip from fatigue and threw it at Sai's face. The whip wrapped around her neck once, but the tip of the whip continued to flick around wildly until it made impact on her right eyelid, breaking the skin and letting more red liquid drip down her face. Mio uttered some curse words at Sai before finally opening the basement door to leave. Sai sighed in relief, now numb with pain. Her white hair was matted with water and blood. She glanced at the small puddle of blood beneath her. She heard drops of blood continuing to drop into it from her toes, possibly gathered from the multiple wounds on her body. Exhaustion filled her mind more than anything, as she let her eyes droop and fell into a deep slumber.

It only seemed to be moments when Sai's eyes shot back open. She had a heard a shuffle of movement. Her heart started pounding hard when she thought Mio was going to resume her whipping session again. She listened hard for the source of the movement in the dim lighting, but to her surprised, it didn't come from the door. It came from a small barred window that she never noticed before. Moonlight casted a shadow on the figure outside the window.

"Eh~ You noticed me?" the figure said, nonchalantly.

"H-help," Sai barely whispered. Her throat felt raw even though she didn't even scream.

"It doesn't seem like you know Nen either. Well either way, since you know I'm here, I'll have to kill you," he said simply, a pin appearing between his fingers.

Sai widened her eyes in fear. She could sense it somehow. He would actually kill her.

"W-wait. I-I can help you." Sai said weakly, racking her brain to say whatever would keep her alive. She looked up and squinted to see the figure better. From his voice, it seemed like a male, although his long black hair could've made her think otherwise. His movements hardly made any noise as he slipped through the bars of the window and landed on the stone floor next to her. Burglar? Thief? Murderer? He's definitely a pro.

Illumi hesitated. He wasn't sure why he did. He never hesitates when he's about to kill. But this boy wasn't his target. The boy's tortured condition...short white hair...hanging from chains… It was a striking image of Killua back at home.

"How old are you?" Illumi asks suddenly.

"S-six years old," Sai answered weakly, inadvertently coughing up some blood.

Illumi put a thoughtful hand to his chin. _Same age too. Would you call this a coincidence?_

"Killua has more muscle mass than you...my younger brother. He's the same age as you. And these torture sessions are nothing. You're just weak," Illumi stated in his bored, monotone voice.

 _He's probably not normal then…_ Sai thought. She stayed quiet though, unsure of his intentions for telling her this.

"You don't need help my help. If your alive after this, you can probably get out of it yourself," Illumi said, before soundlessly leaving the room through the door.

 _Maybe I should've killed him._ Illumi thought as he walked in the darkness of the hallway in the mansion. _Target first._

* * *

 _Few Moments Later~_

"It's me. I got the job done," Illumi stated over the phone. "Mm. Everything went smoothly. Okay, I got it." _Click._

 _Now...I should go kill that boy, he might be problem later if I don't get rid of him now._ Illumi thought, as he silently leaped down from the third floor balcony.

* * *

 _I have to get out of here. Mother could be back already._ Sai thought as she tried to move her wrists. The slight movement reminded her of the pain that shot throughout her body. She winced and looked up at the chains. The skin that touched the chains were now raw and green blotches were visible from bruising. Her hands were numb and puffy because the chains cut off her circulation for an extended period of time. Sai tried moving the chains again, hoping there were signs of any loosening. Suddenly, she felt herself slip a bit from the chains. The blood from her hands were acting as a temporary lubricant. Her eye lit up from her discovery.

Illumi slowly crouched next to the small barred window of the basement again. With needle between in index and middle finger ready, he peered through the window. The dangling white haired boy didn't notice him this time, only because Sai was making so much ruckus with the chains. Illumi continued to watch, wondering what the boy was trying to do.

Sai wiggled some more in the chains, hoping to slip out some more. Suddenly, the chain slipped a bit, only to dig into one of her large salt-water-doused gaping wound right above her right wrist. The pain sent her brain paralyzed, seeing only whiteness from shock. Her whole body stiffened from the pain. It took a few seconds for Sai to take control of her brain again and took a raggedy breath. A look of rage flashed on her face. She was getting frustrated from the feeling of pain getting in her way. She attempted to contract her left bicep, pulling her up slightly on the left arm, in order to relieve some tension from her right hand. Her left arm started shaking from the additional weight it was suddenly burdened with. Relieved that her right hand wasn't hurting as bad now, her eyes now landed on the whip that hung around her neck. An idea popped in her head as she clumsily raised both of her bare feet to grab the handle of the whip that was dangling in front of her chest. She was careful not to let the whip slip from her bloody feet as she intertwined her phalanges around it. As she tugged the whip with her feet, she felt the whip tighten around her neck. Knowing she could die from asphyxiation if she prolonged this, she tugged as hard as she could in order release the whip off her neck. She felt her oxygen being cut off for a brief second, to only be replaced with a burning sensation around her neck. The whip now hung freely from her feet.

Illumi continued to watch Sai's futile struggle. _"_ Eh~"Illumi said, slightly interested when he saw what she was trying to do next.

Sai was trying to use the whip to grab something off the shelf. She failed many times, as the length of the whip wasn't long enough to reach it. She started swinging her body back and forth on the chains, hoping to get a closer reach. As she swung forward to the maximum point the chains would let her, she flicked the whip with her feet and the whip snapped up one of the daggers on the shelf. With the dagger now attached to the end of the whip, Sai then used what little abdominal muscle she had to swing her legs in order to make the dagger fly upwards, slicing near her head.

 _Maybe wants he to kill himself now._ Illumi thought, still crouched and watching.

Sai tried the second time and the dagger sliced off some of her hair near her ears. Her heart was thumping hard as she knew any mistake she made would cause her own death. Trying to gauge her aim from her past two attempts, she held her breath and aimed again, adjusted her swinging angle. This time, the dagger sliced through her left palm and Sai made a small, wincing smile.

 _Oh? Is he trying to cut her arms off to free himself?_ Illumi thought.

She continued to slash at both her left and right hands, until multiple trails of blood covered her arms as the glistening red liquid flowed down. Tears were now flowing from the pain as she self inflicted the wounds on her hands. She stopped and began to wiggle in the chains again. She pulled back her right arm as hard as she could from the chains, her face contorting in pain. She felt the chains slip past her thumb. She applied more pulling force and felt the chains rub painfully against her knuckles. Then her right hand slipped free, dangling by her side and still throbbing with pain. Her face was coated with a layer of sweat as she gingerly raised her right hand to blow on it. She felt a sticky tightness sensation on her blood soaked hand and panic surged through her head. The blood was starting to dry. Quickly, she used her right thumb and index finger to grab onto the chain above her left wrist. She tried pulling back again, this time with her left arm. Once again, the blood help her left thumb slip through but only to stop before her knuckles. With a surge of desperation, she pulled back with all her strength and no later was the sound of two sicking, popping noise was heard.

The next thing she knew was laying on her left side on the cold stone floor. She tried pushing herself up with her left hand, only to immediately land back down on the floor. Her left arm collapsed from the shock of the pain. She lifted her pained arm to see the damage. Her left index and pinky finger were dislocated.

Sai's lips flattened into a line and her expression was grim. She wondered how she could fix her painful fingers. She propped her body upward to stand with her elbows and attempted to walk towards the basement door. Her muscles screamed in pain for every step she took. She struggled for the longest time to open the door. She was surprised yet grateful for the door to be unlocked as the door creaked open. _I guess they never thought we would escape._ She thought bitterly.

Illumi, who was still quietly watching Sai, never moved from his spot. He couldn't remember why dislocating his fingers was a seemingly painful process. He watched as this boy, who strangely reminded him of is precious little brother, slowly walked out of the room all beaten and bloody. Without a doubt, he knew Killua would easily be able to escape in seconds if he was in the same predicament. Although this boy's strength nor ability can be compared to his dear brother, he was still curious how a regular boy of his age with no training could manage to escape this way.

Sai walked unsteadily in the hallway; she could feel her consciousness slipping as her head was feeling too light on her shoulders to be normal. She turned the knob of a nearby door and was greeted with complete darkness. With the vague shapes around her, she was barely able to make out in the room, guessing it was a storage room of some sort. With relief, she let the dizziness overtake her as felt her body fall forward before she lost consciousness.

Standing in the hallway dimly lit hallway, Illumi saw Sai's body fall forward and face plant on the floor as the door closed behind her.

"I guess I'll be seeing you again..." Illumi said to himself, devoid of any emotion as he checks his phone; his new client's name, Light Nostrade, flashes as an incoming call.

* * *

 **A/N:** The dark side of the Nostrade family! o3o I added another family member just to help with the story. I'm really picky about limiting my OC's...so don't worry too much! :D Next chapter will have the rest of the HXH gang make their appearance! Please rate and review!


	2. Chapter 2: Training x And x Destruction

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH but I wish I do. T^T

 **WARNING:** Lots of blood in this chappie. Read at your own risk. But please do read. o3o

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Training x And x Destruction**

* * *

 _Sai walked unsteadily in the hallway; she could feel her consciousness slipping as her head was feeling too light on her shoulders to be normal. She turned the knob of a nearby door and was greeted with complete darkness. With the vague shapes around her, she was barely able to make out in the room, guessing it was a storage room of some sort. With relief, she let the dizziness overtake her as felt her body fall forward before she lost consciousness._

 _Standing in the hallway dimly lit hallway, Illumi saw Sai's body fall forward and face plant on the floor as the door closed behind her._

" _Hm, I guess I'll be seeing you again..." Illumi said to himself, devoid of any emotion as he checks his phone; his new client's name, Light Nostrade, flashed as an incoming call._

* * *

"We need to call the boss-"

Loud, panicking footsteps made her throbbing headache worse. Sounds like something happened in the mansion. Sai wondered if they had figured out that she had escaped. She tried opening her eyes but with no avail. Her eyes were sealed tightly together, as if her body was trying to punish her for last night. She tried moving her body but she was met will a painful ache that rippled all over her body, especially in her fingers. She had forgotten about her dislocated fingers. Gingerly taking her index finger first, she sharply pushed the finger towards the knuckle area, hoping it would be slotted back into its original place. The first jab didn't work and it only worked up an immense wave of pain. She bit on her lip hard to stop herself from screaming. She held her breath and tried it again. With a satisfying pop, she figured that she did something right. She did the same to her pinky finger and it was a success on her first try.

Dragging her body up and panting, she sat heavily against the wall of the storage room and examined her wounds. Scabs were already forming on the whip lashes. Sai was glad Mio decided to dunk her in salt water; it prevented any infections that she may have had on her wounds. She realized that the gashes that she inflicted on her palms were still too raw and tender to leave alone. She looked around the room and spotted some clean cotton blouses, possibly clothes for the maids. Using her teeth, she ripped the cloth into strips and used them as bandages as she roughly wrapped her hands. She dug into the closet some more and found a stash of freshly ironed uniforms for the butlers. She picked up the smallest size and started stripping herself of the tatters that hung from her body, being careful not to touch her healing wounds. She put on the white dress shirt, black vest, black pants, and tied the black bow underneath the collar of her shirt. She roughly combed through her hair, picking out pieces of dry blood.

 _I need to get out of here. The people here are all crazy. I need find Okaa-_

Sai gasped. Her mother didn't know about Mio. _I've got to find Uncle Light and tell my mother!_

Sai shakily stood up and pressed her right ear against the door. The hallway was silent again. She slowly cracked open the door and peeked her head out. No one was there.

She remembered that Light ojisan did say his study was upstairs. She began to run even though every muscle in her body screamed at her to stop. She remembered that the staircase was near the entrance of the mansion. At the sight of the staircase, she pressed her body against a nearby pillar and slowly peaked her head out. Through the glass windows, she saw that the guards from last night were still in front of the entrance, except they doubled in number. When Sai saw them all simultaneously turned away and talking on their phones, she took the chance and bolted upstairs.

Immediately up the stair case was a pair of double doors. The left door was slightly open, leaving a sliver of light to shine through in the hallway. Sai quietly approached the doors as she heard talking from inside.

"How could this happen?! I saw her last night too!" bellowed Light Nostrade as he slammed his fists on his desk, his face red in anger.

"I supposed you called me here to kill him?" replied a male voice.

Sai saw the smooth voiced figure dressed in green standing in front of the head of the Nostrade family. His long black hair covered up to his buttocks. She gasped and her heart started racing in fear. _It was him from last night!_

"That's right. Do you have any idea who it could be? I have a number of green-eyed enemies..."

Illumi raised his hand to his chin, as if trying to decide on something.

"I do have an idea. It's against my business policies to tell you exactly who... but I can tell you that the person who ordered the murder on your wife, was a client of mine."

"WHAT? YOU BASTARD!"

"If you would like your revenge, I would recommend you to take my services."

Light had a scowl on his face. His eyes were filled with hate and distrust at the emotionless male.

"…What's your conditions?"

"I charge one billion zenny per person in this case. How many would you like dead?"

"ALL OF THEM. Don't leave anyone alive!"

"I got it. I'll let you know when the job is done. You can transfer the money the old way."

Light sighed and waved his hand at Illumi in acknowledgement.

"First I get a woman abandon her useless kid here...then my wife gets murdered the same night. Good thing I still have my Neon's fortune...," Light muttered to himself, lighting himself a cigar to calm down.

Sai widened her eyes. _He couldn't be talking about my mother, could he? There's no way. My mother loves me. She'll come back to pick me up and we'll live our normal lives together again. I'm sure she's on her way right now…_ But something in Sai's mind snapped. Something was wrong about her reasoning. Her mother didn't tell her anything except for the fact that she was going away for a few days. Her mother didn't tell her anything. Sai didn't know about anything. She knew they were living in borderline poverty but she was still happy. She thought her mother felt the same too. _Am I really abandoned...or something was even more important to her in order to leave me here...Okaa-san…._

"Are you done listening?"

The closeness of his voice made Sai jump in surprised. She looked up towards the source of the voice, only to see a pair of black, pupilless eyes. She felt a lump at her throat as she tried to step backwards, only to trip and fall on her buttocks.

"Sai-kun? Is that you outside?" Sai heard Light Nostrade's voice from inside the room.

"Y-Yes, it's Sai." She shakily answered him, hoping he would save her from this seemingly cold and unfriendly male standing in front of her. She kept her distance as far as she could from Illumi and quickly approached the head of the Nostrade family.

"How much did you hear?" Light asked, his expression dark at Sai.

"Everything. She snuck past your guards at the entrance and came upstairs," Illumi simply answered for her.

"Why didn't you say anything before?!"

"You wouldn't hire me to kill him if I did." Illumi stated and stared at the white-haired _boy_. "Would you like me to kill him now?"

"I won't tell anyone! I'll only serve you from now on, Light ojisan! I have no one left but you!" Sai blurted out desperately, praying this devil of an uncle won't agree with the kill order.

Light was quietly thinking for a few moments before finally telling Illumi his decision.

"Illumi… just focus on your own mission for now." Light turned his head and glared down at Sai.

"What happened to your face?"

"Uh…i-it was a punishment from Mio ojou-sama" Sai stated truthfully.

"Go and wash your dirty face. I don't want to see you again until I figure out what to do with you," Light said, as he turned his face away from Sai, as if in disgust.

Sai dipped her head and quickly left the room. She was thankful she got to live another day. She immediately went to search for the nearest bathroom down the hall.

"Is he gone yet?" Light asked, relying on Illumi's superior senses to make sure Sai was out of earshot.

"Yes. He's using a shower down the hall."

"I've been thinking a while now...of assigning more able bodies to protect Neon. But I need them to be inconspicuous. Would Sai be a good candidate? He could be disguised as her young butler."

"He broke out of the basement last night," Illumi said, after pausing for a while.

"How did he escaped? Wasn't he restrained? They told me that he was beaten unconscious!" Light asked, shocked.

"He slipped through the chains with his blood. And tried to do some acrobatic moves. And dislocated a few fingers, probably for the first time. It was quite entertaining to watch, actually."

Light sunk back into his chair. Unsure of whether to be impressed or shocked. A _six-year-old!?_

"After being trained...he may prove to be of some use," Illumi continued, pondering the possible benefits that Sai would bring for himself, instead of Nostrade's silly daughter's bodyguard.

"Then I want you to train him until he's apt enough to become some use to protect Neon."

 _Silence._

"I'm an assassin."

"And? I trust your ability."

"I only kill people."

"I'll pay you handsomely."

"And he might die during the training."

"Do you want to do it instead?"

"I refuse."

A vein was bulging from Light Nostrade's forehead.

"Enough! Just train him after your job. I don't want to hear another word. Leave now."

Illumi silently left the room. He jumped on one of the tall gate spikes and began to dial a number on his phone.

"Okaa-san? It's me."

"ILLUMI, IS IT!?~ So, how was it? Did you get the target?" Illumi held the phone further away from his ear.

"Yeah. It's a big one this time. Group target."

Kikyo gasped on the other line. "Maa~ How wonderful!"

"But there's another job afterwards. I have to train a six-year-old."

"Eh? That's strange. How well are you paid?"

"Very well. Nostrade's a billionare."

"Well I don't see why not if you don't other jobs~ It'll be a good test to see if you're able to destroy what you've cultivated. I think it's a great experience for your future. Just make sure you don't get too attached, okay Illumi?"

"There's not a chance that would happen, Okaa-san. Please tell Otou-san I won't be home for a while. Ja ne."

Illumi sighed at his second troublesome task. And here he thought he could've gone home after killing his target to see how Killua was doing. Illumi jumped off the gated, and landed soundlessly on the cement sidewalk outside. _Time to work._

* * *

Sai walked out of the shower feeling refreshed. Her wounds stung from the soap and water though but it was well worth the energy she was feeling now. She rubbed a towel on her head to dry her white hair. She used her hand to wipe the steamy mirror to see herself better. Her straight, short hair turns out to be around chin length. Her cheeks appeared to have lost some of her baby fat from all the physical stress and lack of food, enhancing her innocent cheekbones and delicate V-line. Her face was still deathly pale from all the blood loss last night and her bright cyan color eyes even lost some of its shine. A long-scabbed gash was visible across one of her eyelids and another starting from the middle of her right cheek to her neck. There was no color on her lips. _I wonder if Okaa-san would be worried if she saw me like this?_ Sai suddenly stiffened, recalling what Light Nostrade had said about her mother. _I won't believe it. I won't believe it!_

She shook her head and fumbled through the medicine cabinet and got some bandages to re-wrap the deep cuts on her palms. She redressed herself in her butler uniform and headed out into the hallway.

* * *

"Y-You…monster! I-I hired you to kill Nostrade's wife! Why are you killing us?!" the stubby man exclaimed as sweat dripped down his face, eyes wide with fear.

"I have a new client now," Illumi said, walking towards the sprawled man.

"N-Nostrade…that bastard! NOSTRADE SENT YOU, DIDN'T HE?!"

Without replying, Illumi applied pressure to his right hand and manipulated his fingernails into claws in less than a millisecond before slicing off the man's head.

A few droplets of blood splashed onto his cheek before he carelessly wiped it off with the back of his hand.

With his other clean hand, he dialed to Nostrade.

"It's me. I just finished the last one."

"Good job. I have already transferred the money. Don't forget your other mission. Protecting Neon is high priority."

"I got it." _Click._

* * *

Sai decided to formally apologize to Mio. No matter what happens, she didn't want to make any more enemies. But suddenly, feeling a towering pressure of overwhelming power and death from behind her, she whipped her head around and jumped away from the source. Her recent beatings had caused her to raise her alertness to the max.

"Decent reaction," Illumi said.

Sai's heart was hammering like crazy inside her chest and beads of sweat started to form on her face. She was panting. But before she even had the time to flee, Illumi simply issued a command to her.

"Follow me."

Guessing that she would die if she disobeyed, she obediently followed him. They had a short walk, gradually descending down the mansion until they arrived at an all-too-familiar door to the basement. Sai started to panic, thinking she would have to relive through that kind of torture again.

"Relax, we're doing something else today."

Sai cautiously entered the door behind Illumi as she looked at the room once again. It was exactly how she left it, with her blood stains and all. Sai unconsciously held her stomach, feeling sick from the smell of blood and the horrible memories. But before she had chance to unload her stomach contents, she felt a punch directly at her gut.

Sai flew across the stone room, her back crashing into the wall with a sickening snap on several of her ribs and vertebrate. She immediately lurched forward, expecting vomit to come out. Instead of vomit, dark crimson liquid poured out from her mouth, heave after heave. Through the mind-numbing pain of her broken bones, she faintly thought she was going to vomit her organs out at this rate. After the last heave, Sai rested against the wall that she crashed into. Her painfilled and fatigued eyes observed the incredible volume of blood that expelled from her mouth in front of her. She painfully coughed, only to hack up another mouthful of blood. Too tired to move, she let the blood trickle down both sides of her mouth…down to her neck…and finally staining the spotless, white dress shirt she had managed to change into only moments ago.

She looked up and saw him sitting across from her, on the opposite wall. He had one of his legs was propped up with his respective hand resting on it, working his phone. His other hand was playing with two golden knob shaped pins.

"A-are you going to k-kill me?" Sai whispered, barely audible. Her throat was raw from the constant heaving.

Illumi looked up from his phone.

"I put some of my aura into that punch to open your Aura Nodes. I'll be easier for me to train you when you're harder to kill. But too bad for you...I'm not skilled enough to control my strength."

As if on cue, she saw the warm steam rushing out from her body. _Just what did he do…? Am I going to die now?_

Illumi glanced at her. "Oh. It worked. I tested on another guy on the way here. Just so you know, he died immediately. So, I didn't have much hope for you."

"W-What happens when the steam runs out?" Sai asked in her hoarse voice.

"You'll die, so control it. Imagine it flowing around your body."

Illumi returned looking back at his phone. Sai was confused from the simple explanation but she tried imagining anyway, scared that the steam might run out soon. She closed her eyes and imagined the warmness flowing around her body, trying to ignoring the sharp throbbing pain around her stomach. The warmth around her was quite a pleasant sensation.

"Hm, not bad."

Sai opened her eyes and noticed her steam was replaced with a more viscous looking fluid, continuously flowing around her body. Suddenly, her concentration broke by a violent coughing fit and her aura became steaming wildly again. Ignoring the blood dripping down her mouth, she furrowed her brows and focused her concentration once again to control the steam back into fluid form.

"Practice Ten for eight hours a day. We'll continue in a week; same time at midnight. If you don't come, I'll kill you," Illumi casually commanded in his same monotonous voice, eyes still not leaving his phone. But he wasn't sure if Sai got the message when he heard her body slump forward, face planting on the ground once again.

"...That's the kid?" A figure of a young boy stood beyond the barred window, both hands in his pockets. Using his small stature to his advantage, he easily slipped through the bars and silently landed near the unconscious body. His light blue hoodie was barely able to cover his white, fluffy hair. His black turtleneck peeked through his hoodie, enhancing his set of large, deep colored sapphire eyes.

"Kil, why did you come?" Illumi turned to stare at his younger brother with his hollow eyes. The older brother didn't look surprised, as if he expected Killua to come.

"Tou-san told me you were babysitting. And I just finished work." Killua explained, still staring at the bloody body on the ground. "He looks weak."

"He is."

"How long is this job going to take?" Killua asked, using his feet to carelessly flip over Sai's body, revealing her unconscious, bloody face. Killua squat down to get a closer look at Sai. The white hair that framed around her face was stained with blood, as well as the front of her white collared shirt. The blood stains on her chin had started to dry in layers, revealing the multiple times blood had gushed out from her mouth. Her right hand was still clutching her stomach. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her breathing was noticeably short and ragged. He noticed the lack of muscle on Sai's body, which made him sure that he was just an ordinary boy. Killua raised an eyebrow. _He's still alive after getting a punch from Aniki? Barely alive though…_

"Probably a few years."

"That long?"

"He would die if I trained faster."

Killua stood up, getting bored after he assessed Sai to be significantly weaker than him. Something about the boy bothered him though, like the fact that he was still alive. He brushed the thought away. _He's probably going to die soon._

"I'm going back, Aniki." Without waiting for a reply, Killua slipped back through the window and was gone.

Illumi sighed at his troublesome new job and dialed a number on his phone.

"This is the Nostrade family. We need a doctor."

* * *

Sai woke up with her abdominal area throbbing with dull pain. Her throat was on fire as she tried to swallow, realizing it was extremely dry and raw. She felt bandages all over her body, restricting much of her attempted movements.

"Ah, you're awake?"

Sai stared at the balding old man in a white coat. The remaining tuffs of hair on his head was grey, turning white. The way his wrinkles crinkled around his eyes in a kind smile made Sai believe that he wasn't a threat. The doctor pulled his clipboard and flipped through some pages.

"Let's see… four broke ribs. Several broken bones. Several fractures. Internal bleeding. Punctured left lung. Several cuts and bruises all over your body. Bad news is you're going to need at least six months to recover. But the good news is, you're alive!" the doctor said, attempted to crack a joke.

Sai sighed. She was vaguely sure she only had about a week before she had to continue with the hellish torture.

"I don't know what you've been undergoing, young lady. But I would encourage you to treat your body better."

Sai shot her head up to look at him.

"You know? T-That I'm a…"

"Of course, I _am_ a doctor."

"C-Could you keep it a secret?"

"I understand. Don't worry my dear, I respect patient autonomy. Just relax and focus on recovering. Nostrade-san had arranged your own room here in the butler's wing of the mansion. Call one of the maids to let me know if you're in any extreme pain," the doctor said with a smile. He walked towards the door and gently closing it behind him.

Sai stayed in bed and looked around at her new room. It was furnished with simple necessities, such as a desk placed against a wall on her left side, and dresser on her right. It was probably the best room she's ever lived in. She saw that she was connected to an IV pole on her left arm. Appreciating the silence, she closed her eyes and let herself be engulfed into a black, dreamless slumber.

* * *

 ** _One Year Later~_**

Nothing has really changed in her life for the now seven-year-old Sai. She obediently met with Illumi every week since the initiation of her Nen without fail. She remembers that for the first week of recovery, she spent every waking moment practicing her Ten. Probably at least over sixteen hours a day, not that she had anything else to do in bed. The following two weeks she had learnt Ren and Zetsu. Then the weekly meetings then became monthly ones. And Sai managed to be fully recovered in three months. Without fail, she still practices Ten every day, to this day. She was quite proud to say that she had a good control over her aura now.

In additional to her Nen training, Illumi had ordered her run sixty kilometers everyday with weight training up to five times her own weight. Every other month since her recovery, she had a spar with Illumi. And each time, she would end up waking in her bed and seeing the doctor shaking his head at her every time. But she only saw the doctor for a total of four times before she never saw him again. Or more like, she didn't need to see him again. Her needed recovery time was halved for every consecutive visit. By her seventh birthday, Illumi's punch didn't render her unconscious or break any of her bones anymore.

Illumi was still merciless. He never gave an indication of whether Sai's progress was fast or slow, good or bad. Or even have any kind of reaction at all. The only time he spoke to Sai was when he issued a command. Ever since her Aura Nodes were forced open, he never held back on any of his attacks. Every time they sparred, Sai could block a few more attacks, her reflexes would be a bit faster to extend the fight for a few more seconds. Almost all the time, she felt hopeless and defeated, knowing that there would never a day she would win against this powerful man. But she didn't give up because in the back of her mind, she knew she was, albeit painfully slow, somehow improving.

As if she didn't have her hands full from Illumi's training, Mio would find her and increase her suffering. After her daily marathon runs, she would come back to her room only to see Mio accompanied by two of her guards. With her muscles completely depleted of energy, she would be dragged back to the basement where Mio would conduct her usual torture sessions.

"Ne Sai~ Guess what Papa did today~ He gave Neon another _present_ …and do you know what he gave me?"

Each guard held down one of her shoulders and immobilized both of her arms behind her. They bent her over and forced her head to be completely submerged in the barrel of water. When cells in her body screamed for oxygen, Sai used all her strength to lift her head above the water, gasping for air and sputtering out water. Apparently, this was Mio's new favorite way to torture Sai, as it was the only time Sai would give any type of desperate reaction.

When Sai didn't immediately answer her question, Mio grabbed a fistful of Sai's hair and dunk her head back underwater.

"Nothing…he gave me NOTHING!" Mio screamed. She pulled a taser from her back pocket with her free hand and switched it on. The sparks of electricity lit up the small stone room. In anger, she forced Sai's head deeper in the water before she pulled back her hand and threw the taser in the barrel of water.

Immediately, Sai felt an surge of incredible pain in her head, then throughout the course of her whole body. The shock blinded her of her vision and paralyzed every inch of her muscles. She was forced to release the breath that she was hold underwater and felt the immediate rush of water into her lungs. Her body started convulsing from the sudden shock as she crumpled onto the ground, next to Mio's two unconscious guards. Still blinded by whiteness, Sai felt some warm liquid dribble out from her mouth onto dirty, cold floor, unsure herself if it was blood or water.

"Eh…You're still conscious, Sai?"

Mio grabbed the whip on the shelf and starting whipping Sai's body on the ground.

"Hahaha! You're getting more fun to play with now!" Mio laughed with a crazed glint in her eyes, continuing to beat Sai with the whip.

Sai felt the impact against skin but she couldn't feel the pain. The shock from the electricity had numbed her nerves. Sai couldn't even move from her paralyzed body. Sai stared at Mio with her half-opened eyes, seeing her face smirk with satisfaction. That year, Sai had learned to hold her breathe for over thirty minutes at a time.

* * *

 ** _Five Years Later~_**

Twelve-year-old Sai stared at her naked self in the mirror, shocked. She had just come out of the shower and was patted herself dry with a towel until she saw something that wasn't quite the norm. Her usual flat chest suddenly had two small mounds around her nipples. The size wasn't quite big enough for her to wear a bra, but her chest was not flat like a boy's anymore. Panicking, she grabbed a roll of bandages and tried to bind her chest. She wrapped it repeatedly until her chest was completely flattened. Sighing, she put on her usual butler attire and walked out of the bathroom.

Sai gave up on hoping her mother would come back. She decided that she was searching for something that was more important than her. She was probably dead for all she knew. All she cared right now was to leave this hell-hole of a life. And she knew she had the power to make it possible for her right now. The years of torture and training had molded her into a jaded, unfeeling human being. She didn't care for anyone in the household, and quite possibly, she didn't even care about her own life. The only person she had some sort of attachment was probably Illumi. He never gave Sai any sort of comfort, but his brutal training was what forced Sai to feel alive, to struggle and live. She never saw him in the past four years because her training ended when she was eight years old. She had learned the three out of the four major principles of Nen. Sai still hasn't developed her Hatsu because Illumi never gave her the Water Divination to figure out her aura type. She never asked why either because she thought he probably has his own reasons. She believed she was strong enough without it anyways…even though she still hasn't managed to ever defeat Illumi.

For the past four years, she was Neon's personal butler and her task was to protect her everywhere she went. She earned the right to do so after she finished her training with Illumi. It was a mundane job but that didn't mean Sai's life was any better. Mio continued her torture after all these years, resorting to harsher methods. And her rage had doubled as well, since Sai was now _Neon's property._ Sai had grown quite used to Mio's bizarre treatments and was immune to anything she throws at her nowadays.

Just two years ago, Mio had gotten her hands on an assortment of poison from her father. It was Mio's incessant begging that drove the head of the Nostrade family bonkers before he agreed to get it for her at the auction. It was the prized possession of a famous scientist that had just recently passed away, and his experiment was snatched up immediately by the community. It displayed on a 6x4 wooden test tube rack, holding a total of twenty-four different types of poison in each test tube. Each test tube contained different strengths and properties, indiscernible to the human eye. Only with the written manual of the scientist were you able to tell which does what.

Sai remembered clearly that the next few months were probably the worst days of her life. And she even landed a visit with doctor again, after all those years. She knocked on Neon's door and could go in. Neon was raving about another gift that her father had given her before Sai tuned her out, her eyes glazed in her memories.

* * *

 ** _Flashback~_**

"So it says here that the poison is arranged from least to most deadly, starting from the top left hand corner. Oh Sai…where would you like to start from?" Mio asked in her fake sweet voice.

When Sai didn't answer her, she ordered one of the guards to splash water on her and electrify her on maximum voltage with a taser.

"Oh, I know! I'll give you a random one and then based on your reaction, I'll guess which one it is! Wouldn't that be fun~" Mio said happily and signaled the guards to bring Sai forward.

Mio grabbed Sai's face and forced her to open her mouth, roughly squeezing both sides of her cheeks. She grabbed a random vial from the test tube rack and dumped all the contents in. Sai sputtered and attempted to spit out the mouthful of liquid. But before she could, Mio clamped her mouth closed and kicked her in the throat. Sai gasped, only to let the contents drain down her throat. Mio ordered the guards to let her go and she sat on a chair next to the fireplace to watch her.

Sai couldn't smell or taste the liquid. _Maybe it was just water._

But before Sai could have second thoughts, she dropped to her knees and started clawing at her throat. It was as if it was acid burning the flesh inside her throat. Sai tried to induced vomit but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a flow of rich, crimson liquid. Pain shot through her insides as if she was getting torn apart, inside out. The burning sensation was so intense that she felt like she was she was in a room full of fire, being burnt alive. Her skin was hot and painful to the touch and her face felt like it was going to be split apart. Blood trailed down from her eyes, as if she was crying. It continued to flow out of her nose and ears as well.

"ARGGGGG!" Sai screamed clutching her face, unable to withstand the intense pain.

Mio's eyes shown with delight as her hands clasped together in excitement. She was never able to make Sai respond in such a way.

Sai collapsed on the floor, rolling herself back and forth, thrashing and kicking the air as if trying to put out the fire on her body. Mio's guards started inching backwards from Sai, cowering from her insane behavior.

Sai stopped rolling to expelled more blood from her mouth. She continued to scream but it only sounded like a gurgle of blood. She clawed at her throat, then at her arms and legs. She stood up and threw herself at the stone wall, throwing up more blood on the floor.

"Let's see… I believe that one was called Blood of Lava," Mio said undisturbed, fumbling through the manual. "Aha! Here it is. Once a drop of Blood of Lava is consumed, the user would experience an extreme burning sensation throughout his body, due to the poison eating away at tissue it comes in contact. In many of my trials, the user would simply die from the extreme pain within a few minutes. Although there are rare cases where they die later, from organ failure. Out of 185 trials, no one has been able to survive."

Mio looked at the Sai, still thrashing and screaming in her puddle of blood. _Shoot, I may have broken my toy._

Mio pointed at one of her guards.

"You, get the paramedics," she commanded, and walked out the room.

 ** _End Flashback~_**

* * *

"Sai?...SAI?! Are you even listening?" Neon asked with her hands on her hips, shaking Sai out of her memories.

"I'm sorry, ojou-sama. You were saying?" Sai replied, her face pale and expressionless from reliving her memories. She lowered her head in apology.

"Geez…I said Papa allowed me to go to the Southernpiece Auction next year in September! Too bad it's only December right now…" Neon said, pouting. "You're coming with me, right?"

"Of course, ojou-sama."

"Yay!"

"If there's nothing else, ojou-sama. I shall excuse myself."

"Okay, good night Sai!"

"Good night."

Sai closed the door behind her and walked into the dim hallway. A sudden pain at her abdominal area made her wince. She was sure she recovered from all her injuries. She tried to ignore it until she felt warm liquid staining her underwear. Surprised, Sai ran to the nearest bathroom and quickly locked the door behind her. She pulled down her pants and was surprised to see a bloodstain. Blood was coming out from her, from the _inside_. She felt the dagger-like sharp pains twisting in her lower region, wondering if she had internal bleeding somehow.

 _Am I poisoned? Am I going to die?_

She brushed off her panicked thoughts and decided it must be because she ingested poison, as this type of symptom would be reasonable. She opened the medicine cabinet and was relieved to find some pills inside. She immediately grabbed two painkillers and popped them into her mouth. She held her lower region and tried to endure the pain until the pills kicked in. After about fifteen minutes of clutching the sides of the sink, she felt better. There was no more pain. She was confident her body could fight off the poison by itself. She placed some bandages on her underwear and pulled her pants back up. She washed her hands and headed back into the hallway.

Not even walking for a minute, she spotted a faint flicker of shadow by one of the large windows in front of her. She immediately pulled out an unsheathed dagger in her sleeve and applied Ken over her body within half a second, jumping into a fighting stance.

"Your reaction's gotten better," said a monotone voice in the shadows of the curtains.

"I-Illumi?" Sai couldn't believe it. She hasn't seen him in years. "What are you doing here?"

"Work," he simply stated.

Sai didn't want to admit it, but she missed her training days. The moments of adrenaline of knowing her life was at risk. The moments where she made her body cross the boundaries that were physically impossible… She was alive then. More so than now. There was no purpose in her life now.

"What do you plan on doing next?" Sai knew she was going overboard with her question and so she didn't expect an answer.

Illumi was silent for a while. Contemplating if it was beneficial for him to tell Sai.

"The Hunter Exam," Illumi finally said. _Maybe I could use him to get to Killua…they are the same age…_

"The Hunter Exam?" Sai asked, confused.

"The deadline is the end of this month."

"I see."

"You should test your strength." With this, Illumi positioned himself to leap from the window.

"Wait! Can I come...?"

"…"

The lasting silence made Sai believe he was going to refuse.

"I'll be at the fountain in five minutes," Illumi said, and disappeared in a flash.

Sai ran silently to her room. Grabbing her black drawstring sack from under the bed, she began to throw contents in it, such as: first aid kits, a water bottle, rolls of bandages, a random book that she stole from Mio's room out of spite years ago, and her wallet (which she considered not to bring since there was only a couple zennies). She pulled out the drawer of her bedside table and took the metal box her mother gave her before she left. She threw it in the bag as well. Pulling on the strings to close the bag, she wore it like a backpack behind her. She opened her window and leaped out from it. The wind blew against her face as she dropped down from the third floor, her heart racing. Not because she was falling, but because she was going to leave this place forever. Without even glancing back, she excitedly approached the figure by the water fountain.

When she was almost at the gate with Illumi, she suddenly felt powerful aura of bloodlust behind her in the mansion.

 _What is this unbelievable sakki…?_

Quickly turning around, she froze. She sensed multiple intruders in the mansion and she knew weren't ordinary by their Nen. The sound of loud gunshots echoed through the quiet night. She heard glass breaking, objects crashing, and people screaming.

A shadow flew over their heads. She didn't even sense his presence until she saw him. The figure had pitch black hair, neatly combed back. His forehead wore some type of cross. As he landed several meters away, Sai noticed his unbuttoned fur trench coat and his revealing his muscular body. The back of his coat was imprinted with the golden St. Peter's Cross. He held his gaze from Illumi to Sai, not moving or speaking for moments. Then without any warning, the man disappeared with a jump to head towards the mansion.

Illumi broke into a silent run in the opposite direction of the Nostrade mansion. Sai immediately noticed and followed him. They ran for a couple of kilometers before Illumi abruptly stopped and took out his phone to dialed a number.

"I need a blimp. Twenty-one kilometers north of Nostrade estate," Illumi commanded into his phone.

Sai stayed quiet for a while. But she couldn't resist to ask.

"Who were they?" Sai asked, breaking the silence.

"Genei Ryodan."

"...How do you know that?"

"It was on Nostrade's fortune."

Sai's eyes widened. "You KNEW this was going to happen?"

"Yes," Illumi said bluntly.

"Were they able to escape?"

"Hmm...Probably."

Suddenly, Illumi's phone rang.

"Yes? Okay. I understand." Illumi hung up the phone and looked at Sai.

"Only Light Nostrade and Neon escaped."

Sai fell silent. She didn't know what to feel. Should she be sad about her adoptive family's misfortune? Should she be shocked? Or should she be happy about being freed from their grasps forever?

A giant gust of wind warned them of the blimp's landing in the clearing. Wordlessly, she followed Illumi on board. The lounge area was spacious and luxurious. It looked like something from a high-class hotel café. Illumi continued to walk pass the lounge, straight to the pilot room. He told them of the destination, which turns out to be Zaban City.

"We'll land in five hours. There's many rooms on board. Ja ne." Illumi said, walking into one of the rooms.

Sai picked a random room and let her body fall on the bed. Her mind was still confused on how to feel about the events happening around her. Who were the Genei Ryodan? Why did they come to Nostrade's estate? How did Light ojisan know about his fortune? It was a good thing I came out with Illumi…

With her mind jumbled full of thoughts, Sai grew weary and frustrated, and decided to sleep it off. At least she was free now.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the long chapter! And for the time skip...hehe. The Hunter Exam Arc is seriously the next thing. I have so many ideas for it in my head that I was rushing a bit to get this chapter up. o3o Sai turns out to be jaded enough that she doesn't even act her age lol. Please rate and review! :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Exam x Unexpected x Bloodshed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH

 **WELCOME BACK! Special thanks to Wavywavy for being my first reviewer, hihihihi~ Thanks for the tip! I just added the OC tag for my story~ Although I had to swap it with Illumi's tag *cries* Glad you like my lengthy chappies. :DD Thanks for all the follows/favorites!**

 **And now, I welcome you all to the Hunter Exam! *author bows***

 **Warning:** Bloody as always. o3o

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Exam x Unexpected x Bloodshed**

* * *

" _We'll land in five hours. There's many rooms on board. Ja ne." Illumi said, walking into one of the rooms._

 _Sai picked a random room and let her body fall onto the soft bed. Her mind was still confused on how to feel about the events happening around her. Who were the Genei Ryodan? Why did they come to Nostrade's estate? How did Light ojisan know about his fortune? It was a good thing I came out with Illumi…_

 _With her mind jumbled full of thoughts, Sai grew weary and frustrated, and decided to sleep it off. At least she was free now._

* * *

Sai felt herself descend and immediately opened her eyes. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and quickly stood up, feeling the slight pressure in her ears from the elevation of the airship.

Illumi was already outside of her room. His body was leaning next to one of the large windows, his arms casually folded as he stared down at the land beneath them, still a few hundred meters below.

Without acknowledging her presence, he started to head towards the exit. Sai followed suit. She began analyze and think of the possible reasons why Illumi would allow her to come along. Sai's tendency of overthinking and over-analyzing stemmed from the many years of taking caution in her world of hell. And it was really thanks to this honed ability of hers, to make the best decisions and barely slip away from death every time. She trusted brain and her gut feelings, where were proven to be correct many times over in her past experiences.

Sai's fear for Illumi had completely vanished by the time she mastered the basics of Nen during her training. She believed that if he had wanted to kill her, he had many opportunities to do so. Illumi gave her strength mentally and physically, whether he intended it so or not. If Illumi decides to kill her later, for whatever reason, she would glad to accept it. Hence, she felt no fear. She always spoke to him courteously, from respect as her short-termed teacher and benefactor.

However, she noticed several things about him in the short time they were together. She started mentally listing the facts. One, he was always a solo player. Two, he hated to be forced to do troublesome things. (This she knew for sure because she would constantly feel his _sakki_ flaring as he was training her). Three, his often-emotionless façade is what he is. He had detached himself from most of his emotions, except towards his kinship. He could care less about anything else.

The impact of the blimp landing on the ground temporarily made her stop thinking. Illumi pulled the red lever and the door ascended upwards to expose the dirt floor outside.

They landed next to a bustling port. The smell of seawater filled her nose. Sai immediately noticed the sign that said **WELCOME TO ZABAN CITY** in large letters, nailed on top of the frame of a giant blown-up map of the city. Without looking at the map, Illumi headed towards the loud city square. Sai followed him, keeping a distance of a couple feet behind. They walked through the street full of noisy vendors. Illumi stared straight ahead, ignoring all the pestering approaches. Sai on the other hand, experiencing the city life for the first time, darted her eyes around her to soak in all the new colors and smells. There was produce stall on her right where a young man stood. He had crates of apples and oranges in front of him. His brown shaggy hair had bits of leaves and twigs in them and his dark eye bags told her that he probably spent all night picking the fruits to sell them today. Sai's stomach grumbled to the sight of food as she tensed her legs and ran towards him to picked up three apples and an orange from his stall. She resumed her normal walking pace as she stuffed the fruits in her bag; the man simply scratched his head at the sudden gust of wind.

Sai glanced to her left, seeing a variety of weapons displayed on the stalls. The melee weapon stall was the closest to her, the blades glinting in the sunlight. Daggers of unique shapes and sizes were laid out in the front while larger weapons such as katanas and swords, were hung in the back. Sai eyed one of the short-length blades in the back, the _kotachi_. It looked like the vendor took especially great care of this one, its sheath and the blade were isolated from the rest and was delicately placed on lone sword rack. It was completely black, with the handle of the blade embellished with some weird symbol that she swore she's seen it before…somewhere…

When she decided that she couldn't ignore her attraction to the blade, she dashed over and snatched up the black kotachi and sheathed it. She held the blade in her left hand as she continued to walk forward, occasionally glancing at Illumi to make sure she didn't lose him. To her surprise, the blade was a lot lighter than she expected. The unusual thinness of it made it sit comfortably in her small hand.

She passed a stand selling crossbows, then another selling gunned arms. Then finally, she saw the last stall of the last vendor, which had plenty of things that interested her. It was a journeyman's equipment shop. And she had her eyes on the things displayed on the mannequin. Its was wearing a black, hooded jacket that ended at the hips. She noticed that the odd lining of the jacket and realized it concealed many pockets. The mannequin wore a simple white shirt inside. The jacket material was waterproof and soundless, matching the pair of black joggers that was on the model. Realizing that Illumi became further than she would have liked, she stripped everything off the mannequin and dashed off to catch up to him.

A couple of feet away, Sai saw Illumi throw a thin, almost invisible, needle into a man's forehead. Her eye barely caught his hands flicker at the fast movement.

"Tell me where the Hunter Exam is," Illumi commanded.

"Argg…it's…in the…s-steak house…argg…" the man stuttered, clutching his head as if he was fighting the pain in his head.

Sai knew why Illumi had picked this target to interrogate. She could feel that his strength was a bit beyond a normal human's capacity, but he was completely outclassed by Illumi. There was not much to even compare with. But she knew he was probably candidate for the Hunter Exam.

"Where is it?"

"…On your ri-…right side…ugh…c-couple shops down…"

Illumi flicked his wrist and a golden knob was seen between the man's eyes. The man kept his shocked, pain contorted face for a few seconds before he fell backwards on the floor. Illumi walked forward, now searching for the steak house on his right-hand side.

Sai looked at the crumpled body on the ground. Her eyes were dull and empty. She considered him to be lucky, to die without much suffering. There were many times when she contemplated in taking her own life at Nostrade's. The physical pain from being tortured were sometimes too much to bear. Most of her memories were just lying on the cold floor, watching the life slowly seep out of her body. Her life had no meaning. Only Illumi had given her guidance, a direction to walk towards in life. She had trusted him with her life, and she didn't need anyone else.

Illumi knew this, of course, and he wouldn't pass up such a useful chess piece, if not towards his advantage. He had no intentions of kill Sai when he saw that she was capable of growing stronger during his training regime. He knew Sai was an orphan and had nobody else. He also knew of Mio's daily torture sessions and that it would eventually break any ounce of sanity left in the boy. Sai's mental dependence on himself would only become stronger, and that could be manipulated to his benefit. It was time to implement his plan soon.

Screams from nearby citizen were heard as they walked past the dead body. No one had seen Illumi kill him. It seemed like the victim simply fell after exchanging a few words with Illumi, with a knob embedded on his face.

Soon enough, they spotted a small, homely-looking steak restaurant. As Illumi pushed through the door, a small bell rung to signify an arrival of a customer.

"Irashai!" exclaimed the chef as both Illumi and Sai stepped through the door.

"Where's the exam held?" Illumi immediately said.

The chef narrowed his eyes.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Illumi threatened nonchalantly, a burst of murderous aura expelled from his body. It even caught Sai by surprise.

"H-Help yourselves to the back room…" the chef muttered, trying to control his face from this monster in front of him.

Sai followed Illumi to the back room and closed the door behind her. There was a Chinese style round table in the middle of the room, with a red turntable as the centerpiece. Sai looked around to see if there were any secret passages. Suddenly, the room started to descend. An elevator like sign blinked on the wall, showing the numbers that were gradually increasing from zero.

"By the way, my little brother's taking the exam too," Illumi said suddenly.

"Eh?"

Sai knew Illumi had a brother, he had mentioned him once or twice. It was the only time she had seen him react with any sort of emotion.

"His name is Killua. You could be his friend."

"What are you saying…"

"I'm sure you don't have any."

"I don't need friends…"

"Yes, that's true...but I want you to be his friend," Illumi repeated plainly. "And then betray him."

Sai stared at Illumi.

"But he's your brother."

"I'm just trying to help him learn a valuable lesson, is all."

"…What should I tell him if he questions me?"

"The truth. Your past is conveniently pity-inducing enough. Just don't mention me. Oh and I'm Gittarackur from now on."

Illumi starting pulling out multiple golden-knobbed needles from his body and placed them on the table. There were around twenty pins on the table before Illumi started to insert them slowly in his face, one by one. With each pin, his face morphed with sickening crackles and squelches, as if his bone structures and tissues were shifting inside. Finally, after inserting the last one, Sai observed Illumi's new appearance. His white skin was now replaced with a grey toned one. His face became angular and elongated, and a tuff of purple hair replaced his lush, black one. His hollow black eyes became slanted red ones. He seemed to have a permanent grin etched on his face too. The only thing that stayed the same were the pins that he had placed on himself.

Sai decided to change up her appearance as well, as she dug in her bag for the new outfit she stole. She began taking off the outer layer of her butler uniform when she stopped to looked at Illumi.

"Katatatata…"

"…"

 _It's not like he has anything to see…_

She continued to strip off her dress shirt, revealing a white undershirt. Her bandaged chest peeked through her arm holes, although she didn't mind. She knew Illumi was aware of her constant injures from Mio's abuse. The bandages on her chest was nothing out of the ordinary.

She slipped on the white shirt and her new black jacket. She started to unbuckle her pants when she hesitated. _I think it'll be better if I turned around…_

"Katatata..."

Sai was getting mildly annoyed now. His odd sounds and his grinning face was bothering the heck out of her. She quickly slipped out of her dress pants and put on her new comfortable, black pair of joggers. Illumi saw a flash of her white underwear in the process.

"Katatata…"

A vein was bulging on Sai's forehead as she tried brushing her hair out of her face. It had been six years since she had her hair cut. Her once chin-length white hair was now past her ribs and her fringe that used to cover her eye had completely grown out, framing the sides of her face instead. Her large, deep set of cerulean eyes were bright and confident, making her face seem sharp and merciless. The room shook as it stopped descending as she heard the ding of the elevator. The sign on the wall blinked the number one hundred.

Sai pulled up her hood to conceal most of her face before the elevator doors slid open and stepped outside.

The damp, stuffy air of the tunnel hit her nose. A crowd of eyes landed on both Illumi and herself, watching their every move.

"Here you go. Please take the number and wear it at all times." A small, green headed man in a suit greeted her and handed her a number after Illumi.

She looked at her number. _302?_ Quickly glancing over at Illumi's 301 plate, she pinned it on the left side of her jacket and followed him through the crowd.

A stubby man tried to approach Illumi but quickly backed off when he saw his creepy pin face. He noticed Sai behind Illumi and approached her instead.

"Yo! Haven't seen you before. Feel free to ask me any questions about the exam. My name's Tonpa. I've taken it thirty-five times, you know," Tonpa declared loudly.

"Move," Sai muttered, walking past him.

"H-Hey, why don't we be on good terms. Here, I have some juice. I'm sure you're thirsty from your journey," Tonpa offered, blocking her way as he rustled through his bag.

Sai noticed a figure next to Illumi now. The magician-like figure was tall and had light skin, making his red hair stand out. His attire was adorned with various suit symbols on the front and back torso, and his sleeveless top reveal his toned stature. He wore a star on his right cheek and a teardrop on his left cheek. His golden eyes slanted in a smile as Illumi approached him.

Sai saw Hisoka exchange a few words with Illumi before his yellow eyes landed on her.

"I wouldn't get too close to that #44 Hisoka the Magician…he's a murderous psychopath. Here, have some," Tonpa said, extending his arm with the can of orange juice.

Without warning, she whipped out her black short sword (that she stole earlier) with incredible speed, and sliced through Tonpa's neck. Blood spurted out from arterial pressure and the two cans of orange juice was knocked into the air from the impact.

She stood there for a few minutes, trying to soak in what had just happened.

 _I killed? Did I just...kill someone? Just like that?_ Sai thought, staring at Tonpa's lifeless body as she was expecting him to stand back up any minute. _I can take away someone's life that easily...?_ She felt the warm liquid that had splattered on her face as she touched it with her fingers. _Blood? Is it my blood? No...it smells different. This is...not my blood...His blood?_

Sai caught the two cans in her right hand as they dropped down and placed them in her bag as she mindlessly walked over to Illumi and the jester. Adrenaline from her kill had made her arms and knees tremble with excitement. Not once did she believe she was strong under Illumi's training. In fact, she always felt weak no matter how much she improved. To be able to kill so easily...Sai didn't even notice the large grin that appeared on her face.

"Oh~ What a delicious looking fruit," Hisoka said huskily. He stared down at Sai, like a predator looking hungrily at his prey. She could feel his bloodlust. Snapping out of her own trance, she flared her Ren and went into a fighting stance, which apparently caused the opposite reaction she wanted from Hisoka, his bloodlust becoming even more overpowering. She saw him licked his lips at her.

Sai immediately fell into Zetsu as she realized the gap in strength between her and Hisoka, and gauged that Hisoka was probably… _most likely_ …on par with Illumi's strength.

"…I'm Sai. Nice to meet you," Sai said monotonously, trying to break the tension.

Hisoka calmed a bit and had a look of slight disappointment on his face.

"I was hoping we could have some fun ❤," Hisoka said, teasingly.

Before she could reply, she heard a shout.

"Ah! Tonpa-san!"

Sai whipped around see a white-haired boy standing next to the body she had killed. He held a skateboard in his arms. His plate number was shown to be 99.

"Katatata…"

Sai looked at Illumi's twitching head and knew what he was trying to say. It was Killua.

"Che, I was hoping to get more drinks from him too." Sai heard him say.

Walking up to Killua, she took out the two cans of juice from her bag and wordlessly offered him one.

"Ah, thank you" Killua said, and immediately downed the can.

Sai popped open the can and drank from it as well. She could taste the faint bitterness of the poison from all those years of experience with Mio.

Killua stared at Sai.

"You're fine?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sai replied.

Killua beamed at her.

"I'm Killua."

"I'm Sai."

"How old are you?"

"Twelve years old. You?"

"Same, twelve years old."

Silence filled the air. Sai was feeling awkward, afraid that she might mess her at her attempt to befriend Killua. She had to admit she never had the opportunity to honed her social skills, but now that's she put up with the task of making friends…it was just _embarrassing._ She would rather have Illumi tell her to kill someone.

 _He's the same age too…Did he kill Tonpa? Because he knew there was poison? And why can't I feel his presence?_ Killua thought to himself.

The ground began to rumble beneath their feet and wall of the back of the tunnel started to rise. It revealed a slim figure in purple suit. The ends of his short lavender hair curl upwards and his thin curly mustache, in place of his nonexistence mouth, moved as he gave out simple instructions to the exam candidates.

"I apologize for the wait. The entry period for the Hunter exam is now over. The Hunter Exam will now commence. I am Phase One examiner, Satotz. Please follow me."

Sai watched the examiner begin to walk deeper into the other end of the tunnel, wondering why he would flail his arms and legs in big movements like that. _This is probably too easy for him…_

Killua hopped on his skateboard to join the rest of the moving candidates. Only a few seconds had passed before everyone broke into a run. Sai jogged next to Killua's speed with ease and she soon heard boisterous yelling from a middle aged looking man with spectacles.

"Hey kid! That's cheating!" as the man pointed at Killua's skateboard.

"No, it's not," a young black-haired boy stated.

"Gon! Whose side are you on?!" the man retorted.

Killua looked at the brown eyed boy and hopped off his skateboard to run next to him.

"Cool!" Gon exclaimed.

Killua smiled at his reaction. "I'm Killua. And this is Sai."

"I'm Gon! And this is Leorio and Kurapika!"

Kurapika nodded while Leorio grunted, still sour. Sai nodded back as well. She slightly hoped she wouldn't have to associate herself with anymore of Killua's friends.

They ran for another forty kilometers before Leorio's heavy panting caught everyone's attention.

"Are you all right, Leorio?" asked Gon, genuinely concerned.

Sai looked at Leorio with unamused eyes. _This is nothing…_ Sai thought, her eyes starting to glaze from her memory.

* * *

 _ **Flashback ~**_

Sai was panting heavily as fear clouded her eyes, mustering all the energy in her body to maintain her speed. She guessed that her final speed limit was four hundred miles per hour. Her bones still ached from her injuries last week, but that didn't give Illumi any reason to postpone her training. She could feel Illumi behind her just by a quarter mile. As she reduced her speed at the sight of a large body of water now approaching in front of her, a knobbed needle punctured through her right shoulder from behind, as if telling her to not stop. Wincing in pain, she picked her speed again and sloppily continued running straight towards the ocean. _Does he expect me to run underwater?!_

Sai closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact. A few seconds passed and realized she was still dry. She opened her eyes only to find that she was in fact _running on top of the water._ The distraction by her newly discovered skill earned her two more needles from behind, one hitting her left calf and the other in the dead center of her back. Sai nearly lost her balance from the impact and felt her feet start sinking below the surface of the water. She ignored the growing pain and forced her muscles to continue running at top speed. She felt blood gather in her mouth and carelessly turned her head to spit it out. She ran almost a hundred fifty kilometers now, the equivalent of over three marathons. She felt the energy in her system completely depleted and her dizziness was telling her that her body was now forced to catabolize her own muscles, and whatever was left of her bodily fat storage, just so it could keep up with her demand. Her mind wasn't even functioning anymore. She ears muffled any sounds and her senses were completely numbed. Only sheer willpower and fear drove her moving legs.

When her body realized that they ran a hundred sixty-eight kilometers, as commanded by Illumi, all the muscles in Sai's body ceased to move. The abrupt stop of her body propelled her forward into the air from her speed, rolling and hitting the dirt floor like a ragdoll for a couple of meters. Sai had lost consciousness long before she hit the ground. But unbeknownst to her, Illumi carried her limp body over one of his shoulders and sped back to Nostrade's estate.

 _ **End Flashback~**_

* * *

"Sai? Are you okay?" Gon asked, poking his head close to Sai's half cloaked face.

"Uh…yes…"

"Doesn't look like it to me…" Leorio muttered, face full of sweat.

"Ah! Sai, you look really cute!" Gon exclaimed, smiling.

"…I'm a boy, you know." Sai was feeling a little strange from Gon's reaction and her face suddenly warmed up for some odd reason.

"I know! You should put down your hood so everyone can see your face!"

This comment caused everyone to stare at her. She tugged her hood down even more to cover her heated cheeks.

"So why do you want to be a hunter, Sai? Everyone else answered already," Gon asked, his eyes twinkling in curiosity.

"…"

Sai thought carefully of how to answer this question. Illumi had told her to tell the truth, but honestly, Sai didn't like the sound of that. Telling everyone would make her feel extremely vulnerable. She racked her brain for a reasonable answer that was slightly off the truth.

"…Genei Ryodan…they…killed my family…" said Sai quietly, trying to sound slightly distressed.

She noticed everyone flicker their eyes at Kurapika and to Sai's surprised, his eyes now flashed bright red with anger.

"…What did you say…?" Kurapika asked quietly, eyes still ablaze.

 _Did she say something wrong? Did he notice her lie? Was he going to attack her? No, she felt no bloodlust. Just pure rage and anger._

"You and Kurapika have the same motive then," Killua said.

"...Did they…kill your family too?" Sai cautiously asked Kurapika.

"Yeah, his whole clan. Kurapika was just explaining it earlier. They took all their eyes," Leorio explained in a serious tone.

Kurapika suddenly grabbed Sai's shoulders.

"Let's get revenge! For the death of our nakama!" Kurapika shouted, his hands were shaking her in fury.

"Oi…Kurapika, calm down…This is unlike you," Leorio said gently, pulling a hand on his shoulder.

Kurapika put one of his hands to face, trying to contain his anger.

"…I'm sorry, Sai. It's just whenever the Spiders are mentioned...I can't seem to control myself," Kurapika managed after a few minutes and looked up at her. His eyes had returned to normal.

To her own horror, Sai felt the ends of her mouth curl into a small sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry about it," She replied.

 _Am I getting attached?_ Sai bit the inside of her mouth to let the familiar metallic liquid flow in her mouth, feeling the pain to remind herself of her mission. She had no time to waste on silly emotions.

Satotz started striding up the steep stairs and Sai heard everyone groan from fatigue. She noticed Illumi and Hisoka at the front and picked up her speed to catch up.

"Uwah…Sai is really fast, isn't he?" Gon said.

"A little too fast…" Killua replied. _He's speed is abnormal_ … _even_ _I would have trouble catching up to him…_ Killua thought, annoyed.

"Ne Killua, lets race to see who can catch up to Sai!"

"Loser pays for dinner!"

"Ready…START!"

Sai used barely twenty percent of her maximum speed to quickly close the gap between her and Satotz. Seeing the purple-suited figure striding right in front of her, she slowed down to his speed, which couldn't be any more than twenty miles per hour. It was as comfortable as a power-walking to her. If there was anything she was proud of, it would be her speed.

"Sai-kun~ ❤ Good to see you again," Hisoka said playfully, seeing her run next to him.

Not feeling in the mood, Sai past him and Satotz.

"How mean~" Sai heard Hisoka say.

She arrived at the end of the tunnel, looking at the foggy marshland stretched out before her.

"Aww, Sai beat us!" Gon said, sulking as he arrived with Killua.

Sai was about head towards Illumi when he gave her a look that made her stop, and walked in the opposite direction. _Che, you want me to stay with Killua?_

"Ne Sai, how did you run so fast?" Gon asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmm…I guess I do some light running everyday" Sai replied, speaking far of the truth.

"Yeah, right…Light running doesn't give you that kind of results," Killua stated bluntly.

 _Shoot, he put me in a bad position. That smartass…_

"Hah…I guess you could call it training," Sai tried, feigning embarrassment.

"Don't be so modest, Sai! I'm sure you're really strong," Gon said.

Suddenly, Sai noticed a creature approach behind her. It wasn't even a threat. She let him grab her around the neck with one of his arms as it shouted in front of the crowd of candidates. She looked at it curiously as it had a face of a human, but she was sure that it was anything but human.

"Don't let them fool you! He's lying to you!" the creature yelled, pointing at Satotz.

Sai pressed her hands against her ears. _How annoying…_

"Sai!" Gon exclaimed, his brows furrowed in concern.

Leorio and Kurapika had the same response. Killua looked slightly annoyed.

"He's a Man-Faced Ape! He's trying to trick all the applicants here. He's working together with this girl and she's a Man-Faced Ape too!" the creature said, pointing to Sai in his arms.

"He doesn't seem really human…yeah yeah…and the girl doesn't seem very human either…killing Tonpa without any emotion…" She heard the murmurs float in the crowd.

 _Oi oi…don't compare me to some dumb monkey…_

She placed her hand behind her back and stabbed the creature in the stomach with the spare dagger hidden in her sleeve. As the creature was about to fall backwards, she saw three playing cards embedded on his chest.

 _Hisoka…_

"It seems like my help was unnecessary ❤" the magician said with a grin on his face.

"Sai! Are you okay?" Gon said, running over with the rest of them.

"I hate to say this…but I'm glad Hisoka was here," Leorio said with a grim face.

"…Really. I'm glad you're unharmed. I would try to stay closer to the group, Sai," Kurapika kindly suggested out of concern.

 _These people…They didn't even notice that I killed it first…At least it makes acting a lot easier…_

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern," Sai said scratching her head, acting embarrassed.

Sai was grateful for the vulture-like creatures, which soon appeared to erase her evidence. Sai didn't notice however, that Killua was narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion.

 _I know I saw the creature die before Hisoka's cards hit him…If that's the case, who killed it first? Was it Sai…? If it was, why is she hiding it? Is she acting? Then why did she let it take her hostage? What's her motive? Is she dangerous…?_ Thoughts flooded Killua's mind as he tried making sense of things. He didn't believe that this same aged boy was stronger than him. At least it didn't seem like it to him.

Satotz easily caught Hisoka's cards and carelessly flicked them away.

"If you attack me again for any reason, I would have to disqualify you from the exam," Satotz said to him, unfazed.

"Hai…hai."

"Now, let's continue with the exam. Please follow me."

As everyone began to run into the swamp, Sai noticed Killua and Gon running further from her. _Are they getting suspicious? Maybe I should keep my distance away from them for a while…_

Sai decided to stick with Leorio and Kurapika for the time being. She could feel that they were good, genuine people.

Sai was shocked at her thoughts and slapped herself in the face, hard. What happened to her strong resolve?

"Sai…are you feeling okay?" Kurapika asked.

Kurapika had felt a need to protect this boy, when he revealed that he suffered from the same unfortunate fate of having his friends and family murdered by the same band of murderous thieves, similar like himself. _We don't have anyone else that could understand our pain and rage..._ Kurapika thought bitterly.

"Uh…y-yeah…Just a bit shocked still. I'm fine though," Sai said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Kurapika looked unconvinced but said nothing.

* * *

"Gon…does Sai seem suspicious to you?" Killua asked.

"Not at all," Gon replied, shaking his head.

"I have a feeling he's hiding something from us…"

"I don't think he means any ill wishes though. In fact, I think he looks fragile but actually really fast! I hope he's going to be okay in this exam."

"I guess…But I would keep my distance with him. I saw him talking to Hisoka in the beginning of the exam."

"Eh, Hisoka?"

"And I saw him next to Tonpa's dead body. With his drinks."

"Eh…Sai doesn't seem like he would kill people though…"

"…That's true…He's awfully quite though."

"Maybe that's just his personality. I'm sure he's a kind person."

"…Maybe."

 _Am I thinking too much?_ Killua thought.

* * *

Sai felt Hisoka's _sakki_ from a distance away.

 _He's close._

In the clearing, Sai saw Hisoka and immediately hid in the bushes with Zetsu. She saw a couple of men encircling him, possibly in attempt to kill him. She was too far to hear what they were saying.

In a flash, Hisoka gracefully took down all the men around him with a single swipe of a card. A single man that managed to survive his first attack was cowering in fear and attempted to crawl away. He died instantly as a card embedded itself to his skull.

 _Are they all weak enough that they can't even gauge the strength difference?..._

"Would you two care to participate in my little of game of playing examiner?" Hisoka said in a low tone.

Sai saw Kurapika and Leorio standing in the opening, like a deer in the headlights.

 _Idiots…_

Sai inwardly praised Kurapika when they decided to split up to escape Hisoka. Then she immediately facepalmed herself _hard_ when I saw Leorio coming back to face Hisoka. _There's got to be a limit to this guy's stupidity…_

Gon's fishing rod suddenly struck Hisoka's face, surprising both Sai and Hisoka himself. Leorio tried to get Hisoka's attention back onto himself but only caused himself to be knocked out with a simple punch by Hisoka.

As Gon was about to pass out from Hisoka's chokehold, Sai rushed out and kicked Hisoka square in the chest with her right leg. Hisoka dropped his hold on Gon and took a couple of steps back in surprise. A thin dribble of blood escaped Hisoka's mouth as he licked it away.

 _That monster…I had 80% aura in that kick…_

Sai leaped several feet away from Hisoka, expecting him to attack back.

"So many…wonderful fruits…I'm getting really…really…excited now…" Hisoka said, his voice dripping lustfully, as if he couldn't contain himself anymore.

Hisoka temporarily lost his sanity to his bloodlust as he launched himself towards Sai with incredible speed. Sai was barely able to make out his movements as she tried to dodge his incoming attacks at the last minute. Hisoka used his bare hands to attack, yearning for the contact of flesh and blood. The feeling of adrenaline and excitement was building up in Hisoka, as his attacks became even faster and harder as his aura poured in. Sai's dodges were barely cutting it anymore, as she started to receive cuts on her cheeks and over her body. Each blow from Hisoka was like receiving the explosion of a mini bomb. She could feel bruising weld on her skin when the blows landed on her body. The power and momentum of each strike would be a vital hit if she ever let her aura down. She expended more aura into her movements to increase her speed to keep up with Hisoka, trying to take minimal damage. Sweat was dripping down her face. She never could get a chance to attack.

"Good…good…That's really good Sai-kun…You're getting me so...so...excited…"

A crazed look appeared on Hisoka's face. His eyes had sunken in the darkness of his sockets and his mouth curled up into a freakishly large grin all the way up to his ears as he tried to attack harder than his already superhuman strength. But Sai was already at her limits, using all her energy and aura just to defend against Hisoka's superhuman strength.

Hisoka suddenly stopped his attack and dropped his ecstatic grin. He felt his right hand surrounded in a warm and moist cavity. Hisoka looked at Sai's face as she coughed blood onto his jester outfit, his eyes widening.

 _He's hurt? How?_ Hisoka thought, as dread slowly started to build at the pit of his stomach. His eyes glanced down at his right hand, where it was impaled on the left side of Sai's abdomen. Hisoka gasped as he quickly retracted his hand, causing her to expel more blood from her mouth. He caught Sai's falling body before it hit the ground, cradling her body as gently as he could to refrain from agitating the large wound. He activated his Bungee Gum and applied it over her wound to stop the bleeding. Hisoka kneeled on the ground, propping his right leg up so Sai's head could lay elevated on top. Blood continued to stream from her mouth, staining Hisoka's pants where her head rested.

"SAI!" Gon and Kurapika cried out simultaneously and ran towards Sai's unmoving body.

They immediately stopped when Hisoka's killing aura exploded and had an expression of inexplicable rage as he held Sai's body away from them, like a predator trying to protect his property.

He stood up and gingerly lifted Sai in his two arms, bringing the limp body close to his chest. It looked as if he was holding his precious, broken toy in despair.

"I may have picked my fruit too soon…" Hisoka muttered sadly, his shoulders slightly drooping as he dashed away with Sai in his arms.

Sai was half conscious. She's been in these types of situations before. It was the same pain-numbing sensations all over her body. The same fatigue where she couldn't even move a muscle. And the same strong scent of her own blood that filled her nostrils. She could feel that someone was carrying her in their arms as they ran. Whoever it was, she appreciated the fact that the person was considerate enough to hold her completely still, not disturbing her body or her wound. Feeling safe, Sai relaxed and let her unconsciousness take over.

* * *

"Stop it, Gon!" Kurapika shouted.

"But Sai became like that because of me!" Gon cried, eyes brimming with frustrated tears. "And I couldn't do anything!"

"Then your life would've been in danger too! Do you think Sai would want that?"

"But…but…Sai…didn't move anymore…"

"Hisoka probably wouldn't let her die, or else he wouldn't have carried her off like that."

Gon wiped his tears with the back of his hand and looked at Leorio.

"How's Leorio?"

"He should be fine, just knocked out. Help me carry him to the exam site, Gon."

Gon obliged as he slung Leorio's right arm around his neck. Kurapika did the same with his other arm. Gon started sniffing the air to find any trace of Sai or Hisoka. His face immediately stiffened with anger as his nose was filled with the strong scent of blood. Sai's blood.

Almost instantaneously, Kurapika had the same reaction as Gon. Except Kurapika had his eyes on the abnormally, heavy trail of blood staining the ground, leading right where Hisoka had disappeared with Sai.

* * *

 **A/N** **: Hope you liked the chapter! …Well, I just hope everything was coherent lol. I tried not to make it too similar to the original storyline…because that would be probably boring to read…and boring for me to write. I love Hisoka's character. I hope he wasn't too OOC though... XD**

 **Next chapter would probably be super long…be warned. :3 Possibly super KilluaXOC.**

 **Rate and review please~ o3o**


	4. Chapter 4: Exam x Exposed x Team Match

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH T^T

 **Hi hi~! Special thanks to my lovely reviewers! I feel so motivated to write because of you guys. I received some really good critiques too. Ahh I appreciate it!** **I might make this story longer than I had originally planned, if you guys enjoy reading it. Enjoy this long chapter!**

 **Edit: FORGIVE ME FOR THE LATE UPDATE. T^T Exams for grad school...OTL I'll be posting more regularly though, since that's over. Stay tuned~ :D**

 **Thanks again for all the follows/favorites!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Exam x Exposed x Team Match**

* * *

 _Gon obliged as he slung Leorio's right arm around his neck. Kurapika did the same with his other arm. Gon started sniffing the air to find any trace of Sai or Hisoka. His face immediately stiffened with anger as his nose was filled with the strong scent of blood. Sai's blood._

 _Almost instantaneously, Kurapika had the same reaction as Gon as his eyes were set ablaze in a bright shade of crimson. Except Kurapika had his eyes on the abnormally, heavy trail of blood staining the ground, leading right where Hisoka had left with Sai._

* * *

Killua paced around the large doors of the next exam site with his skateboard resting in the crook of his left arm. He glanced at Satotz, who held out his pocket watch from time to time.

 _Gon sure is late…_ Killua thought.

Inwardly sighing, he wondering what drove Gon to risk himself like that; he honestly thought it was a dumb move on his part.

He waited another hour before he saw the distorting face of Gittarackur emerge from the fog-muddled forest. Killua didn't like him since the first time he saw him. He kept getting a surge of discomfort whenever he was nearby. Killua suddenly felt his eyes lay on him for a moment until Gittarackur turned away to sit beneath a nearby shaded tree.

The next person who arrived made everyone gasp in surprise. Hisoka, was holding what seemed like a small, dead body in his arms, his golden eyes gleaming with hardness as he walked. Killua, as with the rest of the candidates, tried to identify the body. Hisoka's large torso was hunched, conveniently covering most of the petite body. His aura kept everyone away and a path was cleared for him as he walked towards Gittarackur.

As Hisoka gently laid Sai on the grass, her head rolled slightly to the side to reveal her bloody face.

 _It's Sai!_ Killua thought, eyes widening. _Why was he with Hisoka? Or rather…what happened to him? Is he still alive?_ _Why did Hisoka carry him back?_

Urged to find the answers to the millions of questions that popped into his head, Killua used Shadow Step and silently darted behind trees to inch forward in order to hear their conversation. When he was only a few meters away from them, he felt something wiz by his head. He quickly turned around to see a King of Spades embedded in the tree trunk next to him. His eyes met Hisoka's face and knew he had to instantly get out of there, or he would be killed. Hisoka was serious. Killua dashed back to his original spot, his face drenched in sweat. He panted heavily, his eyes still wide with shock. _I can't do it…I"ll have to wait until Gon gets here…_ Killua thought, wiping the sweat that gathered on his chin with the back of his sleeve.

* * *

Illumi saw Hisoka approach with a body in his arms. He thought it was unlike Hisoka to deal with the toys he broke.

When Illumi saw Hisoka laid the body down next to him, his heart did a brief skip. It was so brief that he thought he imagined it. He had recognized the face immediately. The bloodstained body, the bloodstained face, it was all so familiar.

He knew Sai wasn't dead. Sai couldn't have survived through _his_ training and simply die here. It would be absolutely absurd.

Hisoka just sat quietly next to Sai's unmoving body. He rested his right arm on his propped leg, staring at Sai as he spoke.

"I think I may have broken him…"

"He's not going to die, Hisoka," Illumi said in Gittarackur's robotic voice.

Hisoka look up at Illumi, surprised.

"How are you so certain?"

"Because he's been through worse. Plus, you missed his vitals."

"Mmm…he was so wonderful~ He dodged it so beautifully…just in time…"

Hisoka's sadness was temporarily forgotten as he remembered his fight with Sai. His speed, reflexes, and boundless endurance had given him a taste of his potential. He had to wait, until Sai becomes even stronger. Even more beautiful. And he would wait patiently for that time to arrive. Hisoka wrapped his hands around his biceps, puncturing his sharp nails through his skin as his body shook with anticipation. He had to control himself…he had to wait…for the future.

* * *

"Gon! Over here!" Killua shouted as he spotted him.

He saw Gon and Kurapika carrying half-conscious Leorio by the arms.

"Exactly what happened?" Killua asked, frowning.

"It's a long story…" Kurapika muttered, placing Leorio against a nearby tree.

"Wait a second. Killua, have you seen Sai?" Gon asked, looking around.

"Yeah…he's with Hisoka over there." Killua pointed at the tree with his thumb. "What happened to him?"

"I'm not really sure what happened but…Hisoka was coming after me when Sai jumped in to try to stop him. H-He was bleeding so much…"

"Sai tried to face Hisoka straight on? That's totally reckless!" Killua exclaimed.

"We don't know Hisoka's intentions either. He just took Sai afterwards," Kurapika added.

"It doesn't seem like he's going to harm him though…" Killua said, frowning.

Gon and Kurapika nodded.

Satotz's voice broke them out of their thoughts, making them suddenly remember that they were still in fact taking a dangerous exam.

"Excellent work, everyone. We'll begin Phase Two of the exam in the Biska Forest Park. I shall take my leave here. Good luck to you all," Satotz said.

The large doors slowly creaked open, shaking the floor as if there was a tremendous earthquake.

"Would all of the applicants who passed Phase One of the exam please pass through the gates. I'm Menchi, your examiner for Phase Two," the teal-hair woman said.

"And I'm Buhara, your other examiner," said the smiling large man behind her.

As Menchi explained the task for this phase of the exam, Gon, Kurapika, and Killua all looked at Sai's, who was once again in Hisoka's arms, still unconscious.

* * *

Illumi and Hisoka (and Sai in his arms) dashed off into Biska Forest in search of the pigs needed for the exam. After running for a bit, Illumi stopped in front of Hisoka.

"Hisoka, stay here. I'll take care of the pigs."

"Yoroshiku~ ❤"

Hisoka laid Sai down under a tree, in front of him. Seeing the blood now seeping through her shirt, Hisoka rummaged through the drawstring pack on her back. He found what he was looking for and took out the rolls of bandages. Hisoka smiled darkly as he lifted Sai's shirt up until her abdominal wound was showing. He licked his lips as he saw the smooth, pale skin that surrounded her large cut. He lifted his Bungee Gun that was pressed against her wound and starting winding the bandage around her stomach. Hisoka did a thorough job as he made sure the bandage wrapped securely, not to mention making sure to occasionally brush his fingers against Sai's exposed, soft skin.

He noticed another set of bandages that sat higher on Sai's chest, peeking beneath her shirt. Wondering if she had another wound, he lifted her shirt up to her neck, only to find her whole chest was already bound.

"No way~" Hisoka said to himself, grinning hard at his newly discovered secret.

Suppressing his urges to do anything else, Hisoka pulled Sai's shirt back down and started chuckling to himself. He laughed to himself for a good ten minutes before Illumi was back again.

"Hisoka. Let's go back."

Illumi stood in front of Hisoka with both of his hands holding up three large pigs above his head.

At the sight of the picture, Hisoka covered his mouth and forcefully bent forward to stifle his laughter.

"…"

Illumi ignored him.

Hisoka picked up Sai and grinned evilly as he thought to himself. _I guess I won't tell Illumi…yet~_

* * *

Sai woke up and could feel that she was on some type of transportation, vibrating her body slightly. She tried opening her eyes, only to be greeted with a blurred image of everything.

"Sai! You're finally awake!" Gon exclaimed, looking worried.

"How long was I out for…?" Sai whispered groggily, clutching her forehead. Her head was still spinning.

"Everyone failed the exam. We're on Netero Chairman's airship to go to the new location. We'll be there in thirty minutes," Leorio explained.

Sai suddenly sat up at the news, only to cause pain to shoot up her sides. She clutched the wound on her left side and couldn't help to contort her face from the immense pain.

"Sai…take it easy. We're all fine. Rest up as much as you can for now," Kurapika said gently as he sat on the bed next to Sai, putting a hand on her shoulder. He gave a weak smile at the injured Sai _._ Kurapika didn't know what else to feel, other than guilt. The guilt that's had been gnawing at him since Hisoka's attack…the fact that he was unable to do anything. Sai knows what it feels like to have your loved ones murdered, and now Kurapika feels strangely obligated to protect the boy. _If I can't even protect Sai, how would I even be able to take on my revenge…? I'm such a joke…_

Kurapika clenched his fist and looked away from Sai, ashamed of himself for being so useless.

"Just admit it. You're actually really weak, aren't you Sai," Killua said tauntingly.

"Killua!" Gon said, frowning.

"Okay, okay I got it…Don't forget though. That old geezer did say if Sai doesn't pass Phase Two because to her injuries, she's still disqualified."

Everyone stayed silent from Killua's words. Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio had all planned to not tell her about this piece of reminder, as it would give her a reason to needlessly become more reckless with her body.

… _Weak_

Sai's eyes darkened at once when she heard Killua. Her pupils became dilated and her breaths became more rapid and unstable.

… _He's weak, isn't he?_

"…Sai? Are you okay?"

She heard Gon's muffled voice at a distance. She couldn't understand what he was saying. It was as if her ears were being pressed against some immense pressure.

… _Weakness…Will be your death…_

Sai felt her body move off the bed and standing up. She could hear muffled voices talking loudly around her but she barely looked at them. She started to walk to the exit of the airship.

Sai could barely remember the last time someone called her weak. It was probably during the earliest days at the Nostrade estate…and it was probably during the worst moments of her training with Illumi. The memories that she subconsciously buried deep in her mind to keep her sanity had now rippled back in her mind to haunt her.

She felt her legs contract as she descended the stairs out of the airship. She walked over at the edge of the ravine and felt the strong gust of wind pass through her clothes. She watched the examiner demonstrate the procedure of the exam, jumping into the canyon to grab an egg, and then riding on the wind to elevate herself back up. Sai's eyes were blank and hollow, still overtaken by the memories of her past.

Before Menchi could properly explain her instruction, Sai took a step forward from the edge and dropped down.

"SAI!" Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio screamed her name in shock. They didn't expect her to be so reckless.

"Oi! I haven't finished explaining yet!" Menchi exclaimed with a huff.

Without fear, or even much thought, she grabbed at one of the upper levels of web strings that stretched across the ravine. She felt the wound on her side being stretched and pulled taut as she hung by her two arms. Gravity was working against her now as she felt the familiar warm liquid dampen the bandages around her wound, oozing through her newly formed scabs. Strangely enough, Sai didn't even feel any pain. Her body just moved without her consent. In the small space of her conscious mind, she could feel the adrenaline course through her body, engaging her muscles and clearing her head. Her body had fell into autopilot; a familiar response whenever her mental state broke from the torturing. Illumi's training had taught her that even when you think you're at your limit, you could always go further. And if she had shown any signs of weakness, he would kill her.

Her body reacted to the bundle of eggs at hung next to her, swinging back and forth under she reached enough momentum to let go of herself and land on the eggs. She heard several strands of the webbing snap from the addition of her weight. She plucked an unusually large egg from the bundle with one hand and then darted her eyes around seeing if she could jump on any ledge along the ravine to bring herself back up. She could hear the blood pump loudly in her head. But before she could do anything, she heard the loud screeching of Spider Eagles approach her. Several of them, possibly in a group of ten. Considering their large size, they flew with an incredible speed, squawking angrily at the intruder that was trying to poach their younglings.

Sai let the Spider Eagles attack her, their sharp talons clawing at her arms and her body. Sai waited for her chance and hung limply, ignoring the painless cuts that accumulated on her face and body. In a few seconds, she seized her chance as she grabbed onto one of the eagle's legs, letting go of the bundle of eggs. The Spider Eagle shrieked at the sudden weight it was now burdened with as it desperately tried to fly upwards, bashing into the walls to have whatever was holding on to it to let go. Sai tightened her grip as she felt her body crash against the walls, making sure her egg protected with her other hand.

As soon as they were above the gorge, Sai let go of the Spider Eagle and automatically dropped into a roll to cushion the impact as she landed. Most of the exam candidates stared at her with shock, as if she was crazy enough to jump down without a care for her life.

Sai tossed the egg in the large batch of boiling water and sat down in the shaded area next to the airship. Her body sat still and the black hood shielding her face told everyone to back off.

"Sai, are you okay?" Gon tried to ask, approaching her with concerned eyes.

"That was pretty cool," Killua said.

Sai didn't say anything back. She couldn't process what they said. She didn't even realize what she just did. It was as if her emotions were detached from her body. Sai just sat there, memories still lingering in her vision.

Killua looked at Gon and shrugged.

"Gon, let's leave him alone for a while," Killua said.

As if Sai's body was reacting from relief of being alone again, she felt the adrenaline leaving her and the pain returning to her body. She felt the blood from her abdominal wound that had seeped all the way down to around her pant thighs. The new cuts on her face and her body were now stinging. A wave of exhaustion overcame her as she let herself fall forward to lay against the ground to rest.

Gon and Killua turned around from the sound of the soft thud. Gon rushed over at the sight of now unconscious Sai, with Killua following from behind. They stopped in their tracks when Netero stepped in front of them.

"I'll take care of Sai-kun. I believe you boys have an exam to do," Netero said.

Hesitantly, Gon glanced at Sai one last time before running to the canyon with Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio following from behind.

Netero crossed his arms and looked at the Sai.

"I don't know what kind of resolve you have, but you act like you have given up on life already, Sai-kun," Netero commented as he stroked his beard. _For him to act so desperately, as if he's fighting against something inside…must have had a tough life…_ Netero thought, pitying the unconscious boy.

"Bring him in the airship," Netero said. "We have a group of interesting rookies this year. I'm looking forward to it."

"I understand," Beans said.

* * *

Sai woke up in a dark room. The smell of alcohol and antiseptics confirmed her suspicions as she probably landed herself in an infirmary-type room again. She could hear Gon and Killua shouting and panting loudly as if they were in the room next to her. Confused, she sat up and clutched at her newly bandaged waist. She glanced down at herself and noticed that she was changed out of her old clothes and wore a white patient's gown. Her arm was attached to an IV pole next to her bed.

She pulled out the IV skillfully from her arm, as if she used to do this every day. She pressed two fingers against the IV wound as she looked around the room for her clothes. She spotted her black clothing in the dark, all washed and folded neatly at the foot of her bed. She took off her gown and quickly redressed in her normal clothes without bothering to turn on the lights. She opened the door and stepped out to find the source of the noise.

Sai quickly realized that the room with Gon and Killua's voice was in a gym down the hall, several rooms away from where she rested. She hid behind a column as Killua walked out, annoyed and ticked off as he talked loudly to Gon, who was still inside.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?! It's useless! You'll never be able to get the ball from him!" Killua exclaimed, obviously frustrated.

"Yeah! I don't care about the ball though. I'm going to use the remaining time to make Netero-san use his right hand!" She heard Gon say.

"Eh? …I got it. Good luck. I'm getting some sleep then," Killua said sighing in a defeated tone as he closed the door behind him. His response was oddly calm as Sai clearly felt his killing aura as he walked away.

Sai watched Killua pull his shirt over his head with one hand and carelessly draped it over his other arm. He continued to walk down the hall, filling the hallway full of his _sakki_. Sai took this chance to observe Killua from behind. His chest was chiseled; lean muscles rippling with his movements. His sweat made his pale skin glow in the light. Squinting harder, she could make out faint, white scars covering his back torso and arms. Sai bit her lip in bitterness, for the realization that Killua's body had a similar appearance with her own.

She noticed two men approach in front of Killua and continued to stay hidden to observe him. As he purposely bumped shoulders with them, she watched Killua manipulate his hands into claws in a millisecond and sliced off both of their heads.

"You can come out now," Killua said, examining his bloody hand with a bored expression.

 _The hell? He can still sense my presence even when I was using Shadow Step…? I guess I'll need to use Zetsu from now on. I should have expected this…he IS Illumi's brother…_ Sai thought, mentally facepalming before stepping out.

"Killua…" Sai said in a quiet voice.

"Why are you following me?" Killua asked, his eyes still dark with bloodlust.

"I…heard you fighting with Gon," Sai responded softly.

"That doesn't explain why you're hiding."

"…Your sakki…"

Killua narrowed his eyes. He was surprised Sai could sense it; he thought he was suppressing it well. _So, I was right…he's not ordinary…_ Killua thought.

"You noticed it?"

"…It woke me up."

"Then how did you master Shadow Step?"

"I had a teacher..."

Killua didn't look convinced. After all, Shadow Step is one of the assassination techniques which he believed only his household knew of. Not to mention only a few could master the technique. Killua knew Sai was hiding something and he wanted to figure out what it was.

"Then…want to play with me, Sai?" Killua asked, a dark grin appeared on his face.

Before Sai could answer, Killua had started using Rhythm Echo. Sai almost burst out laughing at the sight of many illusions of Killuas surrounding her. Rhythm Echo had been one of the first techniques Illumi had taught her from the beginning of their training. It was considered the basic of the basics for her. Barely being able to contain her laugh from the ridiculous situation, Sai took a deep breath and closed her eyes, easily sensing where the real Killua was. Right where she expected, Killua launched himself from behind with an outstretched claw aiming at her lower back.

Prepared for the attack, Sai dodged to her right and spun around to face Killua using her right leg to pivot. Killua attempted several feint attacks at her chest and her shoulders and she was able to dodge them with ease. Then immediately, Sai saw his left leg incoming right at her face. She swiftly crouched down to avoid the attack, and then shifted her weight onto her hands to lift her legs into air. She kicked Killua's leg up off its trajectory, making sure she held back enough power so she doesn't break his leg. She didn't need to try too hard as she was still weak from recovering from her wound. Killua's leg made impact with the wall, leaving a good sized hole. Sai smiled inwardly at the slowness of Killua's attacks. Illumi, in comparison, was much faster. But she had to give Killua some credit because she knew that kick would have probably messed up her face if it did connect…that is, if she didn't protect herself with Nen.

"Che, first the old geezer…and now you. Ahh…I'm done. I'm going to shower and sleep," Killua said as he started walking off with both his hands in his pockets.

"Wait, Killua. Do you know…what happened at the end of the exam?" Sai asked.

Killua stopped in his tracks before turning around to look at Sai.

"You probably passed out from blood loss. Then the old geezer stepped in and brought you back here. Jeez…You're such a hassle."

"Oh…did I pass?"

"Mm. I ate your egg though."

"…"

"Ja ne."

Sai sensed that his bloodlust had dissipated. _At least I can tell he was raised with love…that spoiled attitude of his confirms it. How fortunate…_ Sai thought with a bitter smile.

* * *

" _ **I apologize for the long wait. The airship will soon arrive at its destination."**_

The airship landed on top of a tall tower. Beans said his simple instructions for this phase of the exam and left on the airship, wishing good luck to all the contestants. Sai had pretty much recovered from her injury. Other than the fact that the abdominal area was still a little tender, she was perfectly fine now.

Immediately, Sai noticed Illumi and Hisoka went into the trapdoors on the far end of the tower. Nobody seemed to notice them disappear.

On the other hand, Sai noticed Gon and the gang all peering over at the edge of the tower, watching an overly confident rock climber get eaten from flying creatures with an abnormally large set of sharp teeth.

Sighing as she remembered her goal of befriending Killua, she approached them to tell them how to descend the tower.

"…I know how to get down," Sai said, getting their attention.

"Eh? How Sai?" Gon asked with his wide curious eyes.

"Over here," Sai replied, as she used her right foot to slightly press down on the nearest trapdoor.

"Just as I thought. We have to use the trapdoors to go down the tower," Kurapika said, pondering with a hand on his chin.

"But we can't use the same trapdoor that another person has already used. I already tried it," Killua added.

"Good thing there's these five trapdoors around us then," Sai said.

"Eh? There's exactly five here?" Leorio asked, surprised.

"Some of them could be traps then," Kurapika said, still thinking.

"No hard feelings if one of use gets the trap then!" Gon said optimistically.

"Yosh! On the count of three then!" Leorio said.

"One…"

"Two…"

"THREE!"

Sai felt herself fall into darkness. As she fell, she had felt rope-like objects dangling around her body. Instinctively, she grabbed one of the ropes and held onto one to break her fall. When Sai stopped moving on the rope, the room was instantly lit up with candles lining the perimeter.

It was a good thing Sai followed her instincts to grab on. She could see now that the room was filled with countless spears, all pointed upwards at her. If she had fallen straight into the room, she would have been skewered all over. Sai could see the previous year's contestants as their skeletons laid amidst the sea of spikes, all being punctured to death.

Across the room, Sai could see a dark corridor right above the mass of spears. Seeing it as the only way out, Sai started swinging on her rope to get enough momentum to land right into that dark hallway. She kicked off from the opposite wall to propel herself forward. As she swung, she heard some sort of a snapping noise. Glancing at what she thought was a rope, she realized that it was actually a thin vine from a huge plant in the bottom corner of the room. Sai suspected that the plant could sustain itself by eating the corpses that had fallen to the bottom. The vine was brittle from the lack of nutrition, which Sai guessed was because that there weren't enough victims recently.

Sai let go of the vine at her maximum velocity and flew into the dark hallway just when the vine snapped off. She landed soundlessly and walked into the darkness. It wasn't long when she saw a brightly lit room just ahead. Sensing multiple presences, Sai tensed and used Zetsu to conceal herself as she neared the room.

"Ah!" Gon said, surprised to see Sai.

"Gon, is that you?" Killua said, appearing from another dark passage.

"Well that was a brief farewell," Kurapika said, emerging from a dark tunnel as well.

"What the…so they all lead to the same room?!" Leorio exclaimed, also approaching from a different passageway.

Sai looked around at the large room. There were exactly five corridors leading up to this room, including her entryway. In the front of the room, there was a monitor and five stopwatches displayed.

Sai was honestly surprised as well. She sure did not plan to see them anytime soon.

"Sai, your clothes have bits of wood in them," Gon said.

Sai looked down at her clothes. The brittle vines had shed some of its pieces onto her clothes as she was moving in them. Carelessly brushing them off, she explained her situation.

"My door was a trap," Sai said.

"What?!" Gon and Leorio said simultaneously.

"Oh, mines too. I had serpents in my room. What was your trap like?" Killua asked casually, as it was an everyday occurrence.

"I was dropped into a room full of spears," Sai replied simply.

Sai saw Leorio's jaw drop.

"I think Sai was probably the unluckiest. My room was only full of scorpions," Kurapika said.

"Eh? Kurapika, yours too?" Gon asked.

Kurapika nodded. "I figured we would encounter something like this."

"That's weird. My room was normal," Gon said, confused.

"What about you, Leorio? Your face is looks injured," Sai asked, now curious.

"Ah…my room was…ehehe…" Leorio began, getting embarrassed.

"You probably fell on your face, didn't you," Kurapika answered for him, closing his eyes and sighing.

"No I didn't! I…I…just fell at a weird angle…" Leorio muttered, face red.

Both Gon and Killua started laughing, bending down, and holding their stomachs. Kurapika couldn't help it either as he joined in, covering his mouth as he chuckled.

Sai involuntarily gave in as well, as a small smirk formed on her face. She had never felt like this before. _Is this what it feels like to have friends…? No…I can't let this stupid feeling control me…_

Sai wiped off her smile as quickly as she had it on. She was on a mission and she should never fully involve herself with them…she needed to detach herself…they can never find out who she truly is.

"It's a relief that we're all back together again," Kurapika said, back with his calm demeanor.

"Yosha! Now we can take anything that stands in our path!" Leorio exclaimed confidently, fist pumping the air.

At that moment, the monitor in the room blinked on as words appeared on the screen.

"The five of you must follow the will of the majority to reach the goal. The phase will start once everyone has put on a stopwatch," Gon read.

"This is going to be easy!" Leorio said self-assuredly, putting on his stopwatch.

Once everyone had their watch on, new words flashed on the monitor.

"At this door, select O to open and X to not open."

"The answer should be obvious…" Leorio muttered, pressing his button.

 _Beep. Results: O (5) – X (0)._

The door slide open. A few minutes of walking into the new passageway, a draft of damp, sour air blew in their faces. It smelled as if something rotting was left in here for a long time. Black rats were seen scurrying along the sides of the corridor, squeaking at their approaching footsteps.

"This place stinks! They really need to heighten their sanitation standards here…" Leorio muttered disgustedly at the passing fat rodents.

"I don't think they need have that kind of a standard for prison cells. Look ahead, Leorio," Kurapika said.

Up ahead, prison cells replaced the brick walls they had before, lining along the sides of the corridor. The light was dimly lit here, barely making out the figures within each cell. Sai could make out some of the eyeballs staring back at her in the darkness of their prison cells. She also saw a few dead bodies in some of them.

"This place gives me the creeps. I can't even see anything," Leorio said with a slightly shaken voice.

"I agree. I think we should hasten our speed," Kurapika said.

"I agree too!" Gon said.

Leorio took the lead as he started to walk faster, with Kurapika and Gon behind him.

Killua and Sai fell to the same pace, now walking next to each other.

"Phase Three is probably a prison tower," Sai said, deciding to voice her thoughts.

"I was thinking the same. They're probably going to make us fight some of them later," Killua said.

"Can they even do that?!" Leorio yelled incredulously.

"I wouldn't be surprised, Leorio. This is the Hunter Exam after all," Kurapika reasoned.

"Goodness…" Leorio said, with an exasperated sigh.

A lit room was seen in front of them, with the same monitor. The words have changed this time.

"At this door, select O to head upstairs and X to head downstairs," Gon read again.

"We obviously need to go downstairs," Leorio said.

"Wait Leorio, maybe that's what the examiner wants us to think," Kurapika said.

"And he would probably make the path going down a lot harder," Killua added.

"Gon. Sai. What do you guys think?" Kurapika asked.

"Hmm…I still think we should go downstairs. Ehehe…" Gon said, scratching his head.

"I think going downstairs would be a trap," Sai stated. She could sense multiple presences below them.

"Okay…let's put in our votes first," Kurapika said.

 _Beep. Results: O (3) – X (2)._

"Alright, alright! Don't blame me when you guys regret it later!" Leorio exclaimed, frustrated.

The door going upstairs opened. They climbed a few flights of stairs until they were met with a long, vertical pole. The pole was a few inches in diameter, enough to wrap both hands on it. The silver cylinder stretched from the ceiling into the dead center of a deep, dark hole, a seemingly bottomless pit.

Sai picked up a nearby stone and dropped it in the hole. It took over ten seconds until they heard the drop of the pebble.

Killua whistled.

"I'll go down first. I'll give you guys the signal when it's safe," Sai said.

"No, Sai. I'll go down," Gon said.

Sai looked at the boy, determination set in his eyes. She knew Gon wasn't trying to play hero. And she knew he was just trying to protect his friends. She also knew that one day, his naivety would be the cause his death. As he readied himself to jump down, Sai couldn't bottle in her feelings in anymore.

"Stop joking around!" Sai yelled out from frustration. She knew Gon wasn't joking either, but she didn't want him to risk a meaningless death either. She knew Gon was weaker than her.

To her surprised, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio all gave her a smile.

"See, Killua?" Gon said, beaming. "Sai is worried about us after all!"

Sai couldn't help but to furrow her brows in confusion. _What's exactly is going on…?_

"Sai, you finally showed a bit of your true self," Kurapika said with a smile.

"What do you mean…?" Sai asked, genuinely confused.

"It means your acting skills suck…baaaka," Killua replied.

… _They knew? How did they find out?_ Sai thought, panicking.

"We were discussing it while you were unconscious. I actually noticed it when you left the airship that time…you were acting like you were under some kind of trance," Kurapika explained to her. "Then, when I saw you recklessly jump off the edge of the gorge, it confirmed it."

"We believe you're suffering from PTSD," Leorio said.

"From your past with the Phantom Troupe, I believe that's highly probable," Kurapika added.

"And you've been hiding your true self to conceal your condition…is what they think," Killua said, pointing to Leorio and Kurapika.

Sai didn't know what to think of this situation. Should she be relieved that they gave her an innovative and justified reason? Or should she simply just laugh at their ludicrous theory? She decided to choose the former.

"Ne, what's PTSD?" Gon asked.

"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder…it's a mental condition that develops after a person has experienced a traumatic event," Kurapika explained, unconsciously clenching his hands into a fist, as if he was talking about himself.

"Uh…sorry…" Sai muttered, unsure of what to say in this situation.

"It's all right, Sai. I know where you're coming from," Kurapika said reassuringly. "You can relax around us."

"…Thank you," Sai said, standing upright to give them all a courteous bow.

"Haha, what are you doing Sai? You're acting like a butler," Killua said teasingly, with a grin.

That got Sai slightly ticked off. Like she needed to be reminded of her past occupation again.

"I'm used to doing things my way so…," Sai said as she slid down the pole without another word.

"Wait, Sai! We could have figured out a safer way!" Sai heard Kurapika say from above.

Leorio sighed. "He's a stubborn one, isn't he?"

* * *

Sai quickly adjusted her eyes to the darkness around her again while still holding onto the metal cylinder. Seeing that there were no traps sprung from her descend, she silently stepped onto the floor. She was in another small room.

"It's safe down here," Sai said loudly up at the hole.

Once she heard everyone land, the room was once again automatically lit up. It was the same looking empty room they have been encountering except this time, there were two doors instead. A large roulette table was in the center of the room, as well as three handcuffs on the wall next to the monitor.

"At this door, each person must throw a ball on the spinning roulette table. Those who roll an even number will form a temporary team, as will those who roll an odd number. Those in a team must be handcuffed together during the entirety of this stage. Please begin."

"They want to split us up," Killua said. "And I'm guessing the two teams will go through one of those doors."

"I don't like where this is going…" Leorio said grimly.

"I'll go first!" Gon said.

He took one of the five small white balls at the corner of the board and threw it in the roulette. The ball rolled around the roulette board a few times before it gradually stopped in a socket; it was labeled number 22.

"22! I'm on the even number team!" Gon exclaimed.

"Yosh, my turn," Leorio said, pushing his sleeves up as he threw the ball on the roulette.

The ball roll around the board once before landing on number 14.

"Gon, I guess we're on the same team," Leorio said.

"Next is my turn," Killua said, throwing the ball.

The ball spun around the roulette a couple of times before finally landing on number 19.

"Che, I'm not on Gon's team…," Killua said, sulking.

"I'll go next," Sai said, tossing the ball.

The ball immediately landed on number 13.

"Odds team…" Sai muttered.

Sai suppressed her sigh. Even if her task was to be friends with Killua, his attitude made it hard for Sai to not have the urge to rip his head off when he had something snarky to say.

Kurapika took the last ball and dropped it in the roulette. The ball bounced around until it landed on number 27.

"Odds," Kurapika stated.

 _But having Kurapika on my team isn't so bad…_ Sai thought.

Gon picked up a handcuff and cuffed it on his left hand while Leorio cuffed it on his right. Seeing this, Sai suddenly realized a dread thought.

"Wait a second…this means one person will…" Sai began.

"Someone will have both of their hands cuffed on our team," Killua said with an unimpressed tone.

Kurapika sighed.

"I'm not going to be in the middle," Sai stated.

"That's not fair. You have to do something like rock-paper-scissors to decide on this," Killua said.

It was decided. During the first round of rock-paper-scissors, Kurapika had won with scissors, making him exempt from being in the middle. Both Sai and Killua lost as they both used paper. A vein bulged on Sai's forehead.

Now it was Sai versus Killua.

"Rock."

"Paper."

"SCISSORS."

Sai used rock while Killua used paper again. Sai lost. She dropped to her knees in despair. _This is going to be a nightmare…_

"Yahoo!" Killua said. "Too bad for you, Sai."

Kurapika fastened one of the handcuffs on his right hand. Begrudgingly, Sai cuffed the other one to her left wrist. Killua did the same on his left hand and Sai had no choice but to shackle down her remaining free hand. _How would I be able to move in this…?_

Kurapika was on Sai's left side and Killua was on her right. She could barely move in any direction without dragging both along with her. The same thing goes when they both want to walk in opposite directions; they're bound to split her in half.

A new message had flashed on the screen.

"Select O for the even team to enter the easy path and X for the even team to enter the hard path. The odds team will enter the other corresponding door when the choice is made," Gon read.

"Gon, we'll take the hard path. We have more people," Killua said.

"No, it's harder for more people to move around in handcuffs. We should do the harder path. Right, Leorio?" Gon said.

"I agree with Gon," Leorio said. "It's going to be harder for you guys to move, especially for Sai, since she has both of her hands tied down."

Sai sighed at her misfortune.

"Let's just do majority vote then," Sai said, pressing her O button.

 _Beep. Results: O (3) – X (2)._

"You guys! Weren't you listening?!" Leorio yelled. "It's better for you guys to take the easy path!"

"Leorio, we will think of something. If you haven't noticed, the three of us are a lot more cool-headed," Kurapika stated.

Sai had to agree with Kurapika on this one.

"So, this is how it's going to be. Ja ne, Gon. Ossan," Killua said, as the door to the easy path opened.

"It's Leorio!" Leorio yelled as he started to walk into the doorway.

"See you at the base of the tower," Kurapika said.

"Yeah! See you later!" Gon replied.

The door closed behind them and almost immediately, the door to the hard path opened.

"All right…let's go," Kurapika said.

They walked into door. The passageway here was a lot narrower than the previous ones, making Sai extremely uncomfortable at the closeness with Kurapika and Killua. They were close enough to bump shoulders.

And Sai couldn't help but to realize the differences between Kurapika and Killua as she walked with them.

Kurapika movements were fluid and graceful. Not once did he tug on Sai's handcuffs. He maintained a comfortable tension on the chains and always managed to match her pace. Even considering their height difference, Kurapika being a head taller, Sai felt like she could still move freely on Kurapika's side. Killua, on the other hand, even though being taller by a smidgen, was constantly tugging on her right hand. Their mismatched pace caused several bruises to form on Sai's wrists. But Killua's movements were always silent and sharp, always moving with accuracy. But it was annoying, as Sai ends up being dragged along wherever he wants to go.

A sudden blast of hot wind hit them in the face as they continued down the path. Sai felt the temperature steadily increase as they walked forward. Sai felt her forehead begin to perspire and began to feel grateful for the coolness of the metal handcuffs. The air was hot and suffocating, and Sai felt her respiration rate increase. She could hear Kurapika's breath as well, breathing harder than usual. Killua had no change in his appearance, as if the heat wasn't bothering him at all.

"Eh, it's getting hot in here," Killua said.

As he soon as he said that, they came in view of a river flowing in front of them. And it wasn't just any river; it was a river of _lava._ They stood on the edge of the cliff, spotting the elevated stepping stones connecting them to the other side of the magma. The lava flowed directly below the stones and one slip up would mean a straight plummet into the sea of fire. And they had to cross it.

"I'll go first," Killua said simply and started to hop on the stones.

Sai, surprised by Killua's sudden movement, was dragged towards the stepping stones before she was even prepared for it. As she hastily stepped onto the first stone, a strong heat wave temporarily blinded her eyes from being directly above lava. Killua was on the second stone already, prepared to jump to his third. Being still blinded, Sai stopped moving forward. But Killua, unknowing of Sai's situation, jerked his cuffed arm to signal his next jump.

"Killua, wait! Sai-" Kurapika said.

But it was too late. Sai, who was still rubbing her stinging eyes, was jerked forward by Killua, making her fly towards him and crash into his back. Kurapika had been watching the situation and quickly jumped forward two stones to catch up with Sai's speed, still trying to maintain a loose tension with the cuffs so all three of them wouldn't lose balance.

Sai opened her eyes and found herself in an awkward position. She was embracing Killua around the waist from behind. Her face had directly collided into his back, her nose hurting from the impact. She could smell the faint, pleasant scent of his laundry detergent from his shirt.

Suddenly realizing her position, she immediately tried to step backwards.

"Sai! Don't move!" Kurapika yelled from behind.

She looked down and realized she was sharing a stepping stone with Killua. Kurapika was on the stone directly behind them. Without his warning, she would have fallen into the flowing lava around them. She mentally thanked him.

Just then, the stepping stone directly in front of Killua and Sai exploded and disintegrated into the lava. Sai also noticed the current of the lava flow becoming more violent. _The lava is going to break all the stones at this rate..._ Sai thought.

"Oi, Sai," Killua said suddenly. "Get on my back."

Killua suddenly knelt on one knee and motioned Sai to get on.

"I see. That's a good idea. Or rather, it may be the only way," Kurapika said, nodded at Sai.

Sighing, Sai leaned forward on Killua's back. She was taken by surprised when Killua easily lifted her up, his arms felt strong and secure as he held the back of her thighs.

"On my mark," Killua said.

"I got it," Kurapika said.

"Ready…GO!"

Sai felt Killua's muscles tense for a second, seeing him leap over the missing stone and continuing to jump from stone to stone. Sai quickly wrapped one of her arms around Killua's neck to keep herself steady on his back. Kurapika managed to mirror Killua's steps even as the chains restricted him. With Sai on Killua's back, they could move more freely, as now they only have to worry about the link between Sai and Kurapika.

As they finally reached the other side of the stream of lava, Killua stood slightly panting from his run. Kurapika bent over and rested his hands on his knees, panting from the strenuous leaps. Sai could feel Killua's chest move up and down from his quick breaths, his grip still firm around her thighs.

"You can stop…choking me…now," Killua, barely managing a whisper.

 _So, that's why he was panting…_ Sai thought. She immediately relaxed her chokehold on Killua's neck. She couldn't help her grin.

"Ah! Killua. I'm _so_ sorry."

"I'm going to throw you back in the lava," Killua said, pissed off.

"Actually Sai, if you don't mind, could you stay on Killua's back? It'll be more efficient," Kurapika said.

"Oi! Aren't you supposed to be asking me?!" Killua stated, annoyed.

Sai smirked, amused by their reactions. Suddenly, Sai had a wicked thought, literally feeling a pair of devil ears protruding on her head as she thought of the multiple ways to mess with Killua as she was on his back. This exam might be entertaining after all.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this long chapter! This was probably the mildest chapter I've written so far lol. Don't expect that to last though. Hehe. o3o More development with Killua and Kurapika next chappie~!**


	5. Chapter 5: Exam x Team x Electric Quiz

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH :'( But I own Sai. Some of the ideas for Phase Three were either taken from the 1999 version or the manga itself. And please don't steal my work or post it anywhere else. Thank youu!

 **Thank you for all the follows/favorites/reviews! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Please do let me know if you see any mess ups with pronouns. Those are so hard to catch! :(**

 **Warning: Fluffs. o3o**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Exam x Teamwork x Electric Quiz**

* * *

" _Actually Sai, if you don't mind, could you stay on Killua's back? It'll be more efficient," Kurapika said._

" _Oi! Aren't you supposed to be asking me?!" Killua stated, annoyed._

 _Sai smirked, amused by their reactions. Suddenly, Sai had a wicked thought, literally feeling a pair of devil ears protruding on her head as she thought of the multiple ways to mess with Killua as she was on his back. This exam might be entertaining after all._

* * *

"…Knock it off," Killua said, irritated.

Sai was absentmindedly grabbing handfuls of Killua's hair, tugging on it as she was still being piggybacked by Killua. They had been walking for a few minutes since they passed the river of lava, and so far, nothing has happened. The long hallway continued to echo Kurapika's soft footsteps. Sai was getting bored out of her mind.

She couldn't help but notice the softness of Killua's hair. And the way it softly bounced back after a hard yank. And she could smell the crisp, cedar scent of his shampoo as she messed with his hair. When she noticed the several strands of white hair that were pulled off from his head and tangled in her fingers, she thought it would be a good idea to stop harassing him.

"I'm doing this out of convenience…if you keep moving, I'll kill you," Killua said.

Sai silently scoffed at his empty threat. She was positive he couldn't even lay a finger on her.

As they turned the corner, they entered a room with a monitor. Sai noticed that this room had two doors on each side of the monitor, each labelled with 1 and 2 in large numbers. Both doors had a large rock blocking each of them. Pickaxes hung on the opposite wall.

"At this door, choose the rock to break to enter the corresponding door. Select O for door one and select X for door two," Kurapika read.

Sai decided to get off Killua to examine the rocks at a closer distance. Without warning, she pushed off from his back and swiftly slipped her legs out of his grip.

"Oi…at least tell me before you're getting off," Killua muttered, trying to hide his surprise at her agility.

Sai ignored him, peering at the rock in front of door one. This rock had an opaque, steel-gray hue with its metallic luster shining in the light. She brushed her hand against the rock to feel its texture and was surprised when she saw her hand dirtied in black residue upon contact. A small, mischievous smirk grew on her face.

"This one's probably graphite," Kurapika said examining next to her. "It's a common mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks, and it's used in batteries, lubricants, pencils-"

"What about this one?" Killua cutting him off as he pointed at the other rock.

Sai looked over at the rock in front of Killua; it had a jet-black color with a glossy sheen.

"This one's most likely obsidian. It forms when molten rock cools too rapidly, resulting in a volcanic glass with a smooth uniform texture like this. It's often used in making extremely sharp knives and blades-"

"So, we break this one?" Killua asked, interrupting him again.

"Like I was trying to say…" Kurapika said, now slightly annoyed. "According to Moh's Scale of Mineral Hardness, obsidian has a hardness value higher than graphite."

"So, we break graphite then."

Sai walked over next to Killua and placed her hand on his left shoulder, extending her soot-covered fingers near his face.

"Oi…Killua," Sai said.

"What?" Killua said, turning his head.

Killua's left cheek contacted Sai's fingers, successfully marking his entire right cheek full of black grime. Sai bit down on her lips to stop herself from grinning. Kurapika, on the other hand, chuckled with a hand over his mouth.

"What…? What is it?" Killua asked frowning, both frustrated and confused.

Killua touched his left cheek and realized what Sai had done when he saw his dirtied hand.

"Sai, you…" Killua said, running over to the granite rock to plan for his revenge.

Killua came back and ran towards Sai and extending his right hand in attempt to mark her face. Sai easily dodged under his arm and ended up behind him, conveniently marking his other cheek with a quick swipe of her fingers.

Kurapika laughed at Killua's unsuccessful revenge. Upon hearing his chuckle, Sai directed her attention to Kurapika, wiping his forehead with her dirty hand as well.

Feeling proud of her nimbleness, Sai smugly dusted her hands of the granite particles and placed her hands on her hips, waiting for their reactions.

Kurapika, like Killua, had also went to the pile of granite to stain his hands.

 _Crap…it's two again one now…_ Sai thought.

Killua launched himself again at Sai again with his outreached hand and Sai successfully dodged him once more. But before she had a chance to mark Killua's face again, she was suddenly pulled away by her left arm. Kurapika had purposely yanked on his handcuffs, causing Sai to be jerked in his direction and fly straight into his torso. The impact from Sai had caused Kurapika to topple over backwards, landing on the ground. As Sai tried to get up, she felt a poke on her right cheek.

"Got you," Kurapika said with a small smile, his finger on her cheek.

Before Sai could retort, she felt a hand from behind wipe across her entire face.

"Hehehe…" Killua chuckled evilly.

Kurapika started laughing from Sai's new blackened face that she received from Killua. She turned around to give Killua a death glare, but only caused him to point at her face in amusement.

"You started it," Killua said, grinning evilly.

Sai launched herself at Killua, in attempt to get revenge. Forgetting about the handcuffs, Kurapika ended up crashing into Sai from behind, causing her to faceplant on the ground. Killua snickered in triumph.

Sai huffed in frustration as Kurapika sweat-dropped from his position, laying on top of Sai.

"Sai, are you okay?" Kurapika asked, propping himself up with his arms.

Sai answered him with a grunt. Kurapika was a lot heavier than he looks.

The beep on their watches reminded them that three hours had already passed. 68:59:58 read on Sai's stopwatch.

"Alright, we should keep going forward," Kurapika said as he dusted himself off.

Feeling humiliated, Sai picked herself up and dragged both Killua and Kurapika wordlessly by the chains and picked up a pickaxe.

"Door one," Sai said curtly, as she pressed the O button.

Kurapika and Killua both followed suit.

 _Beep. Results: O (3) X (0)._

The door slide upwards behind the graphite.

"Time to mine," Kurapika said, swinging his pickaxe at the graphite.

Sai and Killua both joined in to break apart the rock. To her surprised, the graphite broke apart easily at their blows. It was far more brittle and fragile than it seemed. Sai glanced at Kurapika. _His brain is sure useful to have around sometimes…_

It took a few more swings until the graphite broke into pieces, freeing the doorway.

"Let's go," Kurapika said, walking in front.

* * *

"I really hope we chose the right path…" Kurapika said, panting as he ran.

"Everyone agreed on the harder one," Killua said matter-of-factly, riding on his skateboard.

 _Don't tell me this is going to be like Phase One all over again…_ Sai thought, easily jogging at the fast pace.

An enormous boulder was rolling at an incredible speed behind them. The door before had them choose between a shorter, hard path or a longer, easy path. It was a consensus; they had all wanted to finish the exam as soon as possible.

As they turned the corner, the boulder smashed into the wall, covering all of them in a layer of dust. Killua and Sai were busy dusting the grime off their clothes until Kurapika spoke.

"Look," Kurapika said, still trying to catch his breath.

Thin, red laser beams were scattered in the hallway in front of them. The rays were randomly positioned, some of them switching to a new area every so often.

"I'm guessing…if we touch the red beams, we'll either get burned by the lasers…or a trap will be sprung," Kurapika said between his breaths.

"It's just a regular beam of light," Sai observed.

Killua and Kurapika looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know?" Killua asked.

"The energy isn't concentrated enough…you can tell by the light intensity," Sai explained. Nostrade had installed actual lasers in his house for defensive purposes; to protect the auction winnings that he collects for Neon. He had ordered Sai to test run through the complex arrangement of those deadly columns of energy several times, to ensure no one could possibly pass through.

"Eh…this should be easy then," Killua said.

She couldn't agree more. Sai, seeing the harmless beams of light positioned in a simple pattern, sighed at the drastic difference between her life and the supposedly _deadly_ Hunter Exam.

"In any case, we should still be careful. We don't want any traps to make it harder," Kurapika reminded.

"Hai…hai," Killua said, walking towards the beams.

Killua bent down low to the ground to avoid the first beam of light. Sai followed Killua's path, as the handcuffs still connected them. Then the beams forced them to move upwards on the walls. To climb on the walls, Sai had to place her hands and legs on both sides of the wall. The walls were now narrow enough for them to prop themselves up without falling down. As Sai continued to maneuver her body through the beams behind Killua, Kurapika's voice from behind made her stop.

"Sai…would it be okay for you to slow down? Truthfully, I'm having a hard time getting into the smaller spaces," Kurapika said.

Sai had forgotten Kurapika was taller than them, making it hard for him to slip through tight spots with his additional height.

Sai dipped her head in a nod. Kurapika looked relieved.

Suddenly, the beam of light in front of Sai flickered, usually signaling the change in position of the beam that was about to happen. Before Sai could change her location to avoid the light, the beam flickered to its new position right in between Sai and Kurapika. Their chains happened to be in its crossfire.

"Stupid chains…" Sai muttered silently, aggravated at the handicap that the cuffs gave her.

Immediately, sirens rung loudly and everything was flashed in red lights. A rush of water was heard behind them, slowly filling the corridor full of water. As the water level increased, Sai noticed several dark figures swimming in the water. Before she could identify it, a large fish jumped out from water and tried to snap its jaws at her feet.

"I see some giant crocodiles down there too," Killua said uninterestingly.

"I think it's better if we move further up," Kurapika said, pushing himself upwards.

Kurapika was now directly above Sai, and Killua was consequently below her due to the chains. They had all four limbs against the walls, still trying to proceed forwards in a frog-like motion over the sea of monsters below them. They were proceeding at a relatively fast rate until Sai heard Kurapika gasp from above.

"Spi-" Kurapika stuttered.

Sai looked up at Kurapika. His eyes flashed crimson. Before she knew it, she felt a heavy weight crash on her back. As her arms and legs buckled at the sudden shock of the weight, she felt herself fall for a few seconds before hitting something that cushioned her landing.

"You…guys…" Killua said through gritted teeth from below.

Sai and Kurapika had landed on top of Killua. She could feel his arms and legs straining to carry them both.

"Get…up…" Killua said in a strained voice.

"I really want to…tell Kurapika first," Sai said dully, still sandwiched in the middle.

"S-Spi…spider…" Kurapika continued to whisper to himself, his red orbs still wide in shock.

"O-Oi…Kurapika…snap out of it…" Killua said between his breaths.

 _Honestly Kurapika, you're the one with the PTSD here…_ Sai thought drearily.

"I'm…at my limit…" Killua said, wheezing after a few minutes.

Sai could feel Killua's grip slipping. They had landed directly on his back. It was a bad position for Killua, with gravity not on his side either.

Sai knew Killua couldn't hold much longer and so she tried to think of what she could do to help Kurapika in his situation. She knew what Kurapika was feeling; traumatized and falling in a default state of panic. During her darkest moments, after Illumi's training or tortured by Mio, she slowly recovered by listening to the playlist on her music player (which she stole from Mio out of spite). With her earphones plugged in her ears, she separated herself from the world, entranced by the serenity conveyed in the songs. _How did that song go again...?_ Sai thought.

 ** _This puzzle is incomplete, I wonder why…I can tell something is missing_**

Sai's voice was clear and pure as she sang, cutting into the silence of the corridor. Stillness imbued, as if the creatures below calmed to listen to her voice.

 ** _Our fates have become misaligned…But even knowing that they'll drift further away…I walk again..._**

Her strong, sweet voice continued penetrated through Killua and Kurapika's head, making them focus wholly on her song and forgetting about everything else. She felt her emotions bubbling to overtake her voice as she remembered her suffering from her past.

 ** _I Stay~ Alive…_**

Sai could feel her cheeks tinge pink as she held the long note. She noticed both Kurapika and Killua unmoving, listening to her.

 ** _Now I'm wandering alone through the darkness…That unexpectedly crippling pain remains in my heart…never fading..._**

Sai remembered this song whole-heartedly. The bitter sweetness the song conveyed was what she related towards the most. It was, after all, her fate that betrayed her.

Sai stopped singing, as she felt Kurapika relax against her body. She felt awkward at the silence, as both Kurapika and Killua still didn't say anything.

"Sai, you…" Killua said slowly, surprised could be heard in his voice.

 _Oh crap, I forgot this song had high notes…_ Sai thought, inwardly facepalming.

"You sound like a _girl_ ," Killua said, teasingly. Sai could hear his grin.

Sai immediately punched Killua's head from behind.

"Sai…thank you," Kurapika finally said.

He had used his own strength to grip the walls again with his arms and legs, relieving the weight for both Sai and Killua. Sai then propped herself back up off Killua's back.

Sai looked at Kurapika. His eyes were back to his normal grey color again. He gave Sai a warm smile, his eyes reflecting his sincerity.

"You have a nice voice."

Sai felt herself go red. She was grateful it was dimly lit around, so they wouldn't see her face. No one had heard her sing before, not to mention complement her at it. Her songs and her playlist was a private place that no one knew of, and that gave her peace. She slightly regretted singing, now feeling exposed and vulnerable, and especially super embarrassed.

"Yeah, for sounding like a _girl_ ," Killua repeated tauntingly, only to earn another punch from Sai.

"Let's go," Sai said gruffly, trying to shake the embarrassment off.

They passed over a wall that blocked the flow of the water. They landed back down on the ground on the other side, appreciative of the fact that they get to walk on their feet again.

Before Sai decided to continue walking, she stopped in her tracks.

"…Don't tell anyone," Sai quietly muttered, receiving a grin from Killua and chuckle from Kurapika.

* * *

 _ **Killua's POV**_

Killua heard Sai curse at the chains from behind, before immediately hearing the sirens and red lights go off. Killua figured it was the chains that got caught in the beams, as he expected Sai to manage through the obstacle with his speed and stealth.

He could hear the highly-pressurized water flow into their confined hallway. He could see the familiar shadows of crocodiles and piranhas, as well as an assortment of other dangerous creatures in the waters. His father had aquarium back at home that held many rare and dangerous sea creatures. Killua, as a kid, always found it fascinating to see the creatures tear each other apart. Of course, it never posed to be a threat to him, even now as it swam hungrily beneath him, waiting for his fall.

He uttered out what he saw from below, not bothering to hide the monotony from his voice.

He heard Kurapika respond to him by suggesting moving further up.

Killua didn't bother to move, as the sea creatures were hardly a threat to him. Moments later, after they tried to maneuver forward, he heard a grunt from Sai. Then immediately, he felt the heavy impact from above on his back. He gritted his teeth as he used his strength on his arms and legs, to prevent them from sliding down any further. He remembered Sai's body to be extremely light weight when he was carrying her before. He reasoned that the abnormally heavy weight must be undoubtedly from Kurapika.

He muttered through gritted teeth to tell them to get off, only to get a confirmation from Sai that Kurapika was the cause of all this. He heard Kurapika mutter something about spiders.

Killua could feel his arms and legs slipping at the weight, and from the bad angle. Normally, this wouldn't have been a challenge. He voiced aloud that he was at his limit to give them a heads up. He could defeat the creatures below them easily.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang amidst the chaos. Killua stood still, surprised at the clean melody. It was a girl's voice. The voice echoed throughout the hallway, rippling in a pleasant rhythm to her song with a stereo effect. Killua tried to locate the source with his ears, without moving to ensure he could hear perfectly.

To his astonishment, Killua didn't look for long. In fact, he _felt_ the source right on top of him. He could feel the vibrations against his body as Sai sang above him. It was Sai. He was surprised at his soothing voice. He couldn't dismiss the fact that he sounded feminine, but he didn't want to interrupt. He didn't want to admit it, but he found pleasantness in his singing.

Killua heard Sai stop singing and couldn't help but to feel slightly disappointed at the abrupt ending.

"Sai, you…" Killua heard himself say, his head still lingered the melody of his voice.

He felt Sai stiffen. Killua decided to do him a favor and tease him.

"You sound like a _girl_ ," he said playfully. He immediately felt a blow to his head.

Then he heard Kurapika express his gratefulness towards Sai.

 _I see, Sai started singing for him…_ Killua thought.

Suddenly, he felt the weight above him disappear. Kurapika had recovered and now supported his own weight, and Sai followed suit to pick himself back up.

He heard Kurapika complement Sai for having a lovely voice.

 _Are you serious…how can you say something so embarrassing…? You might as well say outright that he's a girl…jeez..._ Killua thought cringing, feeling embarrassed for Sai.

"Yeah, for sounding like a _girl_ ," he said, getting another punch from Sai.

Killua heard Sai try to hide his embarrassment with his brusque speech. He grinned at his failure.

Sai intrigued him. The same way Gon fascinated him. They were both the same age as him, and he believed that was the main factor. Both of them constantly surprised him in different ways, and adding the fact that they were both fun to be around. The only difference lies with Sai. He still couldn't shake off a sense of mysteriousness around him. Sometimes Sai makes him think he's much weaker than him, but suddenly he would turn out to be stronger than he predicted. He still believes he's hiding something. But that doesn't stop his curiosity about him, and Killua's determined to completely figure him out in the end.

 _ **End Killua's POV**_

* * *

Sai read 63:59:18 on her stopwatch. They spent a total of over eight hours already, going through the various doors and obstacles. She wondered how many floors they have gone down by now.

They were approaching another door with the same monitor, once again with the instructions.

"This is the last decision made by majority rule. There are two choices. One path will allow three to pass, but must go through undergo the Electric Quiz. The other path allows two, but leads directly to the exit. Incidentally, the Electric Quiz can discharge up to one million high-voltage electrical current. Press O for the Electric Quiz path, and X for the path straight to the exit. If X is chosen, the remaining person must to handcuffed to the wall," Killua read.

"So, they're saying we could die if we pick the Electric Quiz path," Kurapika said.

"One million volts…huh," Killua said indifferently. "I'm not good at quizzes."

"What do you think, Sai?" Kurapika asked.

"I'm going to pick O," Sai replied bluntly. "I hope you're prepared to get shocked."

 _I can't have a chance to be separated from Killua…Focus on the mission at hand._ Sai thought.

Killua smirked at her snarky response and Kurapika smiled at her, believing she valued camaraderie.

"O it is," Killua said.

 _Beep. Results: O (3) X (0)._

A secret door on the wall spun around to reveal three chairs.

"My name is Lippo, your Phase Three Examiner. I will be giving you instructions from now on. Please take a seat on the chairs and strap on the seatbelts."

Sai heard his voice through the intercom. Following his directions, all of them sat on the chair in the order of their same order as where their hand was cuffed, Sai being in the middle. They strapped on the rubber belt that was attached to the chair.

"For this quiz, each person will take turns to answer one question. For every question that is answered correctly, 100,000 volts will be stored and the person will not be shocked. For the person who answers incorrectly, all the voltage stored thus far will be discharged on him. Once one million volts are stored, the quiz will end. Each person will have ten seconds to answer. Failure to answer, as well as any cheating will be considered an incorrect answer and will be shocked accordingly. Any questions?"

"Once someone answers incorrectly and gets shocked, do you start over with zero volts again?" Killua asked.

"No. Even if the person receives the discharge, the next person will continue with the same amount of charge stored. An incorrect answer will not earn you any additional stored voltage."

"Che."

"This will be a fast quiz if we answer all the questions correctly," Kurapika said optimistically.

Killua and Sai looked at each other emotionlessly.

"Please press the O button once you are ready," Lippo said.

 _Beep. Results: O (3) X (0)._

"First question for Kurapika: Which organ in the body secretes bile? Press O for liver, and press X for gallbladder."

Sai heard Killua groan on her right and turned her head to see Killua grabbing hair in frustration. Sai didn't know the answer either. She probably would've guessed X for gallbladder.

 _Beep._

"Kurapika has chosen O for liver. That is correct. 100,000 volts have been stored."

Kurapika sighed in relief and smiled. He looked at Killua and Sai, only to sweat drop at their reactions. They both looked like their blood just ran cold.

"The gallbladder only stores bile," Kurapika tried to explain.

"Like who would know that…" Killua muttered quietly.

"Next question for Sai: What is the top selling spice in the world? Press O for pepper, and press X for mustard."

Sai started to break out in cold sweat. _What kind of a question is this?!_

She looked at Kurapika for any hints he could give. Kurapika looked like he was in an internal war with himself, fighting to not give Sai the answer. She looked at Killua. His head was slumped forward, as if in defeat.

"You have six seconds left."

 _Most dishes use pepper, right? And you only use mustard for…hotdogs! So, pepper should be the answer!_ Sai thought frantically.

 _Beep._

"Sai has chosen O for pepper. That is correct. 100,000 volts have been stored. There are now currently a total of 200,000 volts stored."

Kurapika slumped in his chair in relief, seemingly more stressed than she was. Killua still hung his head, unresponsive.

"Next question for Killua: How old is the sun? Press O for about 5 billion years, and press X for 15 billion years."

Killua jerked his head up. His eyes bloodshot. He turned his head slowly to Sai.

"…I don't know…don't know" Killua chanted, his eyes wide and blank.

 _Beep._

"Killua has chosen O for about 5 billion years. That is correct. 100,000 volts have been stored. There are now currently a total of 300,000 volts stored."

Kurapika and Sai simultaneously sighed, as they were unconsciously holding their breath. Killua went back in his default state, his head drooping. Sai thought Killua looked the most worrisome.

"Next question for Kurapika: Which planet is closest to the sun? Press O for Earth, and press X for Mercury."

 _Beep._

Kurapika answered immediately. Sai wished she could steal his brain somehow.

"Kurapika has chosen X for Mercury. That is correct. 100,000 volts have been stored. There are now currently a total of 400,000 volts stored."

Sai _desperately_ wished she could steal his brain somehow.

"Next question for Sai: What bird was domesticated first? Press O for chicken, and press X for goose."

 _I have no idea…_ She thought. Panic resurfaced in Sai, as she looked around bewilderedly for a clue.

"You have five seconds left."

 _Chicken…It must be chicken, right?!_

 _Beep._

"Sai has chosen O for chicken. That is incorrect. No volts have been stored. There are now currently a total of 400,000 volts stored. 400,000 volts will now be discharged."

Sai felt herself become cold. And then without warning, the white light filled her vision as pain coursed throughout her body. Pain can be felt in each cell of her body, threatening to burst. Sai felt herself gripping onto the sides of her chair, every inch of her body tensing in shock and extreme agony. It felt like she was getting stabbed all over her body with a sharp knife, twisting and tearing at her flesh. The mind-numbing burn was familiar, as well as her severe, uncontrollable muscle contractions. Sai gritted her teeth to endure silently, showing her contorted, pained face. The shock was only discharged for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity to her. She knew this was still lower than the maximum voltage she had experienced with Mio, she could feel it. But nonetheless, it still was hellish torture and she wouldn't want to be put up with it if she had the choice.

After the shock was delivered, Sai was panting hard in her chair. She could feel her hair sticking upwards in all directions from the electricity. Sweat dripped down her face as she looked blearily at Kurapika. His face showed alarm and shock at the effects of the high voltage shock. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Killua, to see if he was ready for his next question. Killua was already looking back her, his face was serious and alert. Sai couldn't quite read his expression.

As if the shockwave had cleared all their heads, Kurapika, Sai, and Killua had all managed to answer the following questions correctly. They had 900,000 volts stored when it was Sai's turn to answer again. If she could answer this question correctly, they would finish the quiz and be prompted to finish Phase Three of the exam.

"Next question for Sai: How long is a Martian year? Press O for 686.9726 days, and press X for 668.9726 days."

"Oi! Why did the question become so much harder?" Killua asked crossly.

Sai didn't feel fear anymore. After all she was already shocked once, how bad could another administration be? Even if it is nearly a million volts. It was the same feeling as if you already jumped in a swimming pool; you wouldn't be scared to get wet again.

 _Beep._

"Sai has chosen X for 668.9726 days. That is incorrect. No volts have been stored. There are now currently a total of 900,000 volts stored. 900,000 volts will now be discharged."

* * *

Sai couldn't remember what happened after she saw the flash of white light again. Everything blackened afterwards. She didn't feel pain, nor did she remember anything after that. She felt the up and down movement of walking as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Ah, Sai's awake already. It's only been ten minutes," Kurapika said, surprised looking at his stopwatch.

Sai was being carried on Killua's back again, with one of her arms dangling over his shoulders.

"Finally awake, idiot," Killua said, instantly dropping her off his back.

Immediately, her legs shook at the support of body. She took a few seconds to clear the black spots in her vision. She was surprised that the electricity still could knock the wind out of her.

"Honestly, I think you were unlucky, Sai," Kurapika said.

"Seriously. Do you know what my last question was? It was: what's the only metal that is not solid at room temperature?" Killua said. "Even I knew the answer."

This caused a vein to bulge on Sai's forehead. Even _she_ knew the answer to that.

"Mercury…" Sai answered hoarsely.

"Exactly. But I'm thinking they made the last question hard on purpose. Because Sai's answer could have ended the quiz," Kurapika said thoughtfully.

"Whatever. Most people would have died if they were electrocuted with a million volts of electricity. I'm surprised he's still alive," Killua said, looking at the staggering Sai next to him.

Before she could say anything, a door in front of them slid upwards. The bright light from the room temporarily blinded the three of them in the dark corridor. As they stepped through the door, they heard a loud speaker announce their arrival.

"Applicant #404, Kurapika, is the fourth to pass. Applicant #99, Killua, is the fifth to pass. Applicant #302, Sai, is the sixth to pass. Total time, fourteen hours and three minutes."

Sai noticed the three people that were already there, sitting against the walls of a large, circular room. It was Hisoka, Illumi, and the ninja-guy whose name slipped her mind. Hisoka greeted them with a disturbing smile as he built his card tower. They all quickly looked away.

The handcuffs connecting them unlocked themselves and fell to the ground with a satisfying thunk. Sai felt relieved to be unrestrained again.

"Gon and ossan haven't arrived yet," Killua said, looking around.

Just then, a door lifted upwards. A large, food trolley was rolled in the room. Sai could hear trays inside clashing against the metal walls, as it noisily rolled across the rough floor.

She saw everyone approach the trolley. Everyone except for Illumi, who stayed still, looking at her. As everyone returned to their spots with their trays, Sai started walking towards the trolley. Illumi did the same.

"You changed a bit. Have you become weaker?" Illumi said in his Gittarackur robotic voice, taking a tray.

Sai didn't say anything as she clenched her teeth. At that moment, she wasn't even sure what she was angry about. She wasn't mad at Illumi's comment. She angry at herself. Realizing how weak she had been, to even have Killua to help her. She's been in far worse situations without needing anyone to aid her. And even worse, she had put emotions in some of her actions. She even had enough sympathy to sing for Kurapika. _What a joke…I'm turning into a joke…ridiculous._

"Just get the job done," Illumi said, walking away with his tray.

Sai felt her fringes fall on her eyes, partially covering her dark expression. Sai took a random tray and went back to her spot near Killua and Kurapika.

She sat down and glanced at her simple meal. It was a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and two pieces of Umaibo. Sai remembered how Mio used to rant about these "cheap, commoner snacks." Sai on the other hand, used to enjoy it; the large, cylindrical puffed corn snack with a flavored seasoning on top. But now, Sai just looked at the food unappetizingly, still bothered of how pathetic she was during the exam.

"Not hungry, Sai?" Kurapika asked, putting down his soup.

"I'm going to take your food if you're not eating it," Killua said between mouthfuls, stuffing his face with his Umaibo.

Sai pushed to the tray in front of her, silently offering her food. Killua gladly took her two pieces of Umaibo and her bowl of rice, shoving it in his mouth.

She leaned against the wall, resting her head against it. She let out a deep sigh. _Have I changed…? Have I become weaker? Who exactly am I supposed to be…?_ Sai let her eyes close after glancing at her stopwatch. It read 57:35:45. _Still over two days left…_

* * *

"Applicant #403, Leorio, is the twenty-third to pass. Applicant #405, Gon, is the twenty-fourth to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes."

"Gon!" Sai heard Killua call out.

Sai opened her eyes at the commotion.

"Killua!" Gon exclaimed.

"Jeez…took you long enough," Killua said.

"Ehehe…" Gon said, sticking out his tongue. "Your face looks really dirty, Killua."

"You have to thank someone for that," Killua said, slanting his eyes at Sai, only to realize he's conscious. "Ah, he's finally awake."

"Sai! Your face looks really dirty too!" Gon said, laughing.

Sai blinked at Gon, her head still murky from the long snooze. _Is Phase Three over…?_

"I tried to wake you up numerous times, Sai. But no matter what I did, you wouldn't wake up," Kurapika said with defeated sigh.

"We thought you were dead. You slept for two whole days," Killua said. "I even slapped you several times."

 _Well, that explains my face stinging…_ Sai thought, throwing a glare at Killua.

"Phase Three of the exam is now over. Twenty-five applicants have passed. One has died."

A large door opened, filling the room full of light. Sai could see the blue ocean in the horizon. The cool breeze of the sea carried in the room. They were finally outside.

The applicants exited the tower one by one.

"Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on escaping the Trick Tower. Phase Four will take place over there on Zevil Island," said the petite man with a violet mohawk and large clear glasses, as he snapped his fingers.

A brusque-looking man carried a box over to the small man.

"Each of you will now draw a card from this box. There are twenty-four numbered cards, and the number you draw will be the equivalent of the ID plate you will hunt. We will now go in the order by which you exited the tower. Will the first person come forward."

Hisoka went forward and picked up a card from the box. Illumi went next. A line started to form after Hanzo picked up his card. Sai stood behind Kurapika and Killua, and finally got her card at her turn.

As Sai waited for the rest of the applicants to get their card, Zippo continued to explain the rules of next phase.

"Does that we will have to fight each other?" Gon asked.

"Probably," Killua answered, as he casually whistled a tune. A tune that was awfully familiar to Sai.

"Ne, Killua. What song are you whistling?" Gon asked.

"Oh, this song? I have no idea. It was Sa-" Killua tried to say, before flying a few yards away.

Sai punched Killua in the face with all her might before he could finish his sentence. Her face was red as she panted from the sudden force she had to quickly exert before Killua blurted out her embarrassing moment. She swore she felt a flash of aura in Illumi's direction.

Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika all sweat dropped at the scene. And then a few moments later, Kurapika started shaking in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Leorio asked, confused. "I didn't think you were the type to laugh at someone's pain, Kurapika."

Sai shot a glare at the chuckling blond boy.

"It's nothing," Kurapika replied as he saw the look on Sai, still trying to stifle his chuckle.

"Ow…that hurt!" Killua exclaimed, his left cheek was swelling into a large ball. _That stupid Sai…I didn't even sense his punch…_ Killua thought, gingerly touching his cheek.

"Everyone's drawn a card correct? Then, please remove the seal from the card. The card indicates your target."

Sai removed her seal and noticed everyone stowing away their plate number. Her card read 53.

 _Who was this again…_ Sai thought, looking through the applicants. She sighed as she noticed most of them hid their plates already. She didn't bother going through the hassle of hiding her plate.

As Zippo continued to explain the point system used to clear this phase, Sai watched Killua approach Gon.

"What number did you draw, Gon?" Killua asked.

"What about you Killua?"

"A secret."

"Sai? What about you?" Gon asked.

"Number 198," Sai simply replied.

Both Gon and Killua were surprised at how Sai gave out the information so easily.

 _That's one number off from mines…_ Killua thought. _And the people with consecutive numbers in the remaining applicants are…the idiot brothers. Should I tell Sai…?_

"Hmm…who was that again," Gon said, thinking.

Sai sighed. _Guess they don't know who it is either…_

"At the count of three, we'll show our cards okay?" Killua said to Gon.

"Okay!"

"One…two…THREE!"

Sai peeked at their cards. _Killua's number is one off from mines…must be the weak brothers…_ Sai thought as she glanced at Gon's number. She widened her eyes at the number 44.

"Gon, it's better if you get three other plates," Sai said, in a serious tone.

"You really have bad luck…" Killua said, surprised at the number as well.

"Ehehe…you think so?" Gon said, scratching his head.

"Well, at least I have a clue of who my target is. Thanks, _Sai_ ," Killua said sarcastically.

"Eh? You know who your target is Killua? Sai, you too?"

"It's probably one of the idiot brothers," Killua replied. "There's no point for them to even hide their plates, now that we know it's one of them."

"The fastest way is to get all their plates first," Sai said with her arms crossed.

Killua nodded in agreement. Gon widened his eyes at the both them, impressed at the speed of their deductions and planning. Gon still needed to figure out his plan to capture Hisoka's plate.

The boat arrived to depart to Zevil Island and the applicants boarded in a single file. Sai sat near the front end of the boat, waiting for it to set off. She saw Kurapika approach her, followed by Leorio, who was looking tense.

"If…I'm saying what if…if you guys happened to be my target, I wouldn't show any mercy," Leorio said, pretending to be indifferent.

"Naturally. If you were my target, I would've said the same" Kurapika stated.

"The feeling's mutual," Sai said.

"EH?! Am I your target?!" Leorio asked Kurapika, his face in panic. "Or you, Sai?!"

Sai slightly curved the corner of her mouth into a smirk.

"Don't worry. You're not my target," Kurapika said with a smile.

"You would know if you were my target, Leorio," Sai stated half-jokingly as she stood up to leave, walking towards the bow pulpit of the sailboat. She couldn't help but to tease him a bit.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean…and j-just so you know, you guys aren't my target either!" Leorio exclaimed embarrassingly, as Kurapika walked away in the same direction as Sai, wanting to feel the sea breeze.

* * *

Sai propped her arms on the railings of the forward part of the boat. She closed her eyes and let the wind blow in her face and through her hair.

"You need something?" Sai said with her eyes still closed; she sensed Kurapika approach her from behind.

"May I join you?" Kurapika asked.

Sai gave him a small shrug, not minding his company.

Sai and Kurapika didn't talk for a long time, and Sai let the comfortable silence continue between them. She knew Kurapika was curious about her past, especially the part involving the Troupe. She wouldn't bring up the subject, but she would let him ask when he feels the need to.

"Sai…" Kurapika started. "Pardon me for asking this again, but why did you want to be a hunter?"

Sai didn't immediately reply to his question. And Kurapika didn't pressure her. He knew this was probably a sensitive topic for her, and he would wait patiently for her until she was ready to answer.

"…I said before that they killed my family," Sai said, looking at the sea.

"Do you know why they killed them?" Kurapika asked gently.

"They probably stole...something," Sai replied vaguely, not quite sure of the reason herself.

Kurapika stayed silent after this. More questions popped into his head, making him want to ask Sai to clarify himself. But he held back his curiosity, still being cautious of his words.

"What do you plan to do after you're a hunter, Sai?" Kurapika asked, slightly changing the subject.

"Probably…look for them."

"Look for your family?"

"No, the Spiders."

"Why?"

"To ask why they did it…I guess."

"That's all?"

Kurapika's voice was calm but Sai could feel him tensing, his hands clenching into a fist. _Why is he getting mad…?_ Sai thought.

"Sai…I think you're amazing. I can't ever be as calm as you even if I wanted to," Kurapika said as he laughed bitterly to himself.

 _He must have really loved his family…_ She thought. Sai, on the other hand, didn't feel much for the Nostrade family, dead or alive. It was just a dark memory for her, a recollection she'll never want to relive.

Sai didn't know what to say to Kurapika. She probably doesn't even understand his suffering, as much as he believes she does.

"I think you're the amazing one," Sai said after a while. "To dedicate your life for them. You're going to kill them, aren't you? Then, reclaim the eyes. Then what? What would change after all that? Is there still meaning left in life?"

Kurapika stay silent as he stared at her, shocked at her words. What made him more surprised was that this was coming out from a _twelve-year-old_ _boy_.

"Still, you're amazing," Sai continued. "To have found what you want to do with your life."

 _Sai…you're incredible. You're probably braver than I am…being able to accept the past and move on. That takes a tremendous amount of courage…and I don't think I have enough guts to face it. I don't know what I'll become…if I lose my drive…my hatred…my revenge…_ Kurapika thought desperately.

Sai blinked. _Crap…Did I just ramble out my inner most feelings? Just right now? What is wrong with me?_

She started hitting her head with her fists, trying to wake herself up from the doing stupid things like this. _The mission is to be friends with Killua; what am I doing here with Kurapika?!_

"Sai, are you okay?" Kurapika said, alarmed at her sudden self-abuse.

"Ah…uh…y-yeah…" Sai muttered. "Ja ne."

Sai quickly dashed off to find Killua. She left because she feared herself, to accidentally reveal more than she would want.

"Ah…" Kurapika said in surprise, wondering if he had said something offensive.

Kurapika looked up at the sky, repeating the conversation he had with Sai in his head. Something was off about his reasoning. It didn't make sense to why Sai didn't feel the same hatred he had towards the Phantom Troupe. It had also seemed like he didn't even know why his family was attacked. Was he lying to him? Is he purposely hiding something from him? _No…that doesn't seem quite right…_ Kurapika thought. _It was as if…he didn't care._ He widened his eyes. That could be a reason. But why would he not care about the death of his family? Sai didn't seem that heartless, based from the little time he interacted with him.

Kurapika sighed. There were too many missing information and too much guesswork to come to a concrete conclusion. He was itching to find out more about Sai's relationship with the Spiders. It was possible that Sai knew something about the famous band of thieves that he didn't. But ultimately, he knew one thing for sure; that his fate would be now intertwined with Sai's, and the Spiders would be at the center of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh my god, it took me forever to figure out what they were eating during Phase Three. Those long puff corn snacks. When I googled the pictures, I realized I had them before lol. It's a slightly sweet and highly addictive. I remember eating the entire package as a kid. But it seems like such a measly meal for them…considering how strenuous the exam is XD. In the anime, they literally had only 2 pieces wtf!**

 **For those wondering about Sai's song: it's Stay Alive by Rei Takahashi. I just so happened to listen to it while I was writing and got inspired. She has such a sweet voice. o3o Please YouTube it and reread the scene** **I hope you can feel the feels like I did when I was writing it. I really think this song fits her really well!** **Because in the end, she's only a twelve-year-old kid. And as strong as she is, she's still human and can feel emotions. Even though most of the time, she chooses to turn into a shell to ease the misery. And that's what makes her deadly.**

 **Well, I hope it wasn't too cringe-worthy.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!** **Again, please review! o3o**


	6. Chapter 6: Targeted x or x Preyed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH :'( But I own Sai. Please don't steal my work or post it anywhere else. Thank you!

Thank you for all the follows/favorites/reviews! I really appreciate the PMs as well, really helps to remind me to get updating. And now, enjoy! o3o

 **Warning: Some blood and fluff. And some intimate parts. :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Targeted x or x Preyed**

* * *

 _Sai quickly dashed off to find Killua. She left also because she feared herself, to accidentally reveal more than she would want._

" _Ah…" Kurapika said in surprise, wondering if he had said something that offended her._

 _Kurapika looked up at the sky, repeating the conversation he had with Sai in his head. Something was off about his reasoning. It didn't make sense to why Sai didn't feel the same hatred he had towards the Phantom Troupe. It had also seemed like he didn't even know why his family was attacked. Was he lying to him? Is he purposely hiding something from him?_ _No…that doesn't seem quite right…_ _Kurapika thought._ _It was as if…he didn't care._ _He widened his eyes. That could be a reason. But why would he not care about the death of his family? Sai didn't seem that heartless, based from the little time he interacted with him._

 _Kurapika sighed. There were too many missing information and too much guesswork to come to a concrete conclusion. He was itching to find out more about Sai's relationship with the Spiders. It was possible that Sai knew something about the famous band of thieves that he didn't. But ultimately, he knew one thing for sure; that his fate would be now intertwined with Sai's, and the Spiders would be at the center of it._

* * *

Sai looked around the platform of the ship for Killua. Strangely enough, he wasn't with Gon or Leorio. So she continued to explore the boat in search for him. Once she scanned the deck to make sure he wasn't there, Sai went down through the companionway to check the cockpit. And there, she found him. Killua, his skateboard with his left arm, was examining the steering wheel and vast number of controls in the room. He turned around to face Sai as he sensed her nearing.

"Yo," Killua greeted.

Sai nodded to him. She walked past Killua and advanced towards the assortment of colored buttons on the dashboard. Staring at the controls, she suddenly felt and itch to press one of the knobs…

"Are you an assassin?" Killua suddenly asked behind her.

Sai whipped her head around and looked at him quizzically. _What…? Where did that come from?_

"Your footsteps. I noticed from the moment I met you. You never made a sound."

"…Neither do yours," Sai said shrugging, turning her attention back to the controls.

"It's not normal for people to know Shadow Step, you know. It's an assassin's trademark," Killua pressed on.

Sai ignored him, eyeing the large, red button in the center of the panel. She didn't know why Killua was making this a big deal. It's not like it was a particularly hard technique to learn; it was one of the basics. Sai knew they were approaching Zevil Island soon and started contemplating if she should take the matter into her own hands to stop the boat. She really did want to press that button…

"Oi! Are you listening?"

Sai gave in into her desires and pressed the red button. The ship jerked into a violent halt. Killua took a step back to balance himself from the sudden movement. They heard bodies colliding into the floor from above and shouts of surprise.

"Oi why did you-"

"We're here," Sai stated, cutting him off as she started to climb back up the companionway to reach the deck.

Killua huffed in annoyance. He had thought he understood Sai a bit better after the Trick Tower, but now… He wasn't sure anymore. Sometimes he would think Sai's like a regular, playful twelve-year-old kid. But sometimes, most of the time really, Sai acts cold and distant. He had thought Sai could be an assassin after his life, probably for revenge of some sort. It wasn't uncommon. But his actions prove that otherwise. Killua decided that it's best to keep observing him, until there's some clue about Sai he could figure out. He leaped upwards towards the deck and followed Sai to the group of applicants that were preparing to disembark.

* * *

"Thank you for your patience, everyone! We have arrived at Zevil Island! Please disembark the order you completed the Third Phase."

"Killua!" Gon exclaimed, waving to him. Sai stood next to him and looked at Killua with a blank expression, hands in her pockets.

"You will stay on the island for exactly one week! You must obtain six points and return here before that time! All right, the first person may begin!"

"Gon…stay alive," Sai said, as she saw Hisoka disembark across the plank. Hisoka turned his head towards Sai's direction and flash her a gradual smirk. She immediately got goosebumps.

"Mm!" Gon replied with a smile.

"Looks like it's going to be awhile for Gon and me," Leorio said, walking towards them with Kurapika behind.

Sai watched Illumi to be the next one to cross, being reminded of her mission again.

"Ne Killua. First one back with six points wins?" Sai said without looking at him.

"Uh…okay," Killua said, slightly surprised. He can't ever predict Sai's behavior. _It's like he has some sort of personality disorder…_

"The third person may begin!"

Kurapika crossed after Hanzo. Then Killua. Then finally Sai. She nodded her head to Gon and Leorio as they wished her good luck. She stepped across the plank and rested her hands on the lower cords of her drawstring bag, pulling it taut. _…I just need to keep away from Hisoka…_ Sai thought, involuntarily shuddering as she remembered his grin. His gaze was telling her gut instinct that he knows something…

She stepped onto the fertile ground, noticing how untouched the soil was. She sensed multiple wild animals around her, hidden in the bushes and trees as they noticed her presence. _This must be an uninhabited island…_

Sai took a deep breath and appreciated the cool, earthy smell of nature. She heard birds chirping and mosquitoes buzzing about the air as she continued to walk through the dense forest. Sai unconsciously entered in a state of Zetsu, naturally emulating the animals around her. Then, as if she weren't there anymore, animals started appearing out of their hiding spots and went about doing their usual behaviors. A deer poked its head out of a bush and started to graze on another patch of grass. A squirrel climbed down from a large oak to bury its nut harvest. Despite the peaceful scenery in front of her, Sai was on full alert. Her senses peaking at maximum, being able to notice anything less than ordinary within a moment's notice. Immediately, she had sensed someone behind her. And he was very adept at stealth.

A large spear swung down where Sai stood, embedding deep into to the ground. Sai had effortlessly jumped away to dodge the attack and was now perched on a tree branch, analyzing her attacker.

"I really didn't want to fight children," the man said. He was a tall muscular man with shoulder length brown hair and a Fu Manchu moustache. He wore a blue sleeveless shirt with an orange sash on top of his purple pants. He pulled out his spear from the ground with ease. "But seeing you're my target, I have no choice," he said, gripping his lance in a fighting stance.

Sai subconsciously made a small smirk in the shadows of the tree. He was strong. She guessed he was honest mercenary of some sort, abiding by a moral honor code. Sai's arms and leg muscles started to twitch in anticipation. Blood was pumping loudly in her ears as she tried to contain her exhilaration. It was as if her body longed for battle. His attack had triggered something in her, making her yearn the adrenaline of combat. And this man was going to give it to her. It had been a while since she had felt the familiar sticky, warmth of blood coat her skin.

Sai jumped off the tree and silently landed in front of the man. Her expression was dark, holding an ominous grin on her face. Her aura was oozing an incredible amount bloodlust. Goz was taken off guard, surprised at the appearance and aura on this kid. Sai launched herself at him with her short sword unsheathed in her right hand. Goz was barely able to block the fast attack of her sword with his spear as he stumbled back a few steps. Sai, delighted that he could block her speedy attack, threw herself in the air and tried to attack him from on top. She aligned herself in view with the sun, blinding his vision as she slashed her sword down at him once more. She felt the strong vibrations on her sword, indicating the impact it had with his spear. Sai jumped backwards and analyzed him again to plan her next attack.

The man was panting hard with sweat starting to form on his forehead. Goz was surprised at the speed and power of this kid. Seeing that his opponent wasn't easy, he ran towards Sai, bellowing a battle cry with his spear aiming straight at her. Sai effortlessly jumped out of the way. Goz, expecting this, swung his spear in a 360-degree circle, blowing apart multiple tree trunks in the process. He stopped his swing when he realized his spear never collided with Sai. Unable to locate his opponent's position, Goz frantically looked around in the trees around him. Suddenly, he felt a strong blow to the back of his head. Sai had used her right leg to kick him from behind. Before he had time to recover his vision, Sai impaled her sword in his left thigh.

Sai heard the man cried in agony as he clutched his leg with his free hand. Sai grinned in delight. Goz used his spear hand and attempted to swing at her again. This time, Sai jumped in the air and soundlessly landed on his spear. Before Goz could shake her off, she jumped behind him and pulled her out sword from his leg. His blood splattered on her face as she pierced her sword once again, this time into his right leg. The man cried through gritted teeth as he landed on his both knees.

Sai dropped her grin and looked down at him in cold, unamused eyes. _What this…you're weaker than you look._ Sai thought.

Suddenly, Sai noticed a presence approaching. Noticing he had a perfect Zetsu, Sai leapt upwards in a nearby tree and tried to scout the incoming figure.

"Oh…I guess your opponent was the torturing type," a deep, robotic voice sounded in the shadows of the trees. "Usually, I would expect it to be Hisoka's, for a sakki of that scale."

 _Illumi!_ The sight of her mentor dissipated all her previous feelings of bloodlust. _Did he not realize it was me…?_

"Did he take your plate already?" Illumi asked the injured man.

"I-If you want my plate, you will have to fight me," Goz replied, using his spear to support himself to stand.

Without a word, Illumi appeared in front of Goz with lightning speed and plunged his right hand into his lower left abdomen. As Illumi retracted his hand, Goz spluttered out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. Illumi searched his body for his plate and successfully pulling out his plate hidden in his shirt. It was plate number 371. Before Illumi delivered his killing blow, Goz pleaded for his request.

"W-Wait…" Goz said, reaching out for his spear. He placed his forehead on the ground and placed his spear flush against his side. "The warrior in me refuses to die without fighting Hisoka. Please, could you let me fight him as my final wish and let me die in battle."

Illumi placed a finger on his chin, pondering about his options.

"Okay. You'll die either way," Illumi bluntly said to Goz as he dialed a number on his phone and placed it next to his mouth. "Hisoka, have you taken your target's plate?"

Sai strained her ears to listen to the conversation. She could barely make out Hisoka's replies through his phone.

"No, not yet."

"You don't even know who your target is, do you? Want me to tell you?" Illumi offered, playing with one of his knobbed needles.

"No, it doesn't matter. I'll just find just three others to hunt."

"Okay, I got it," Illumi said, ending the phone call. He faced Goz and had his default Gittarackur grin as he talked to him. "You're in luck. Hisoka's probably bored right now. Maybe I'll get him to owe me a favor for sending you to him."

Goz respectfully dipped his head in thanks for sparing his life and granting his wish to die in battle. He struggled to get on his two feet before walking in search for Hisoka.

Sai suddenly felt a new presence in the trees across from her. It was another applicant, and she was taking aim with her sniper at Illumi. Even though her camouflage was flawless, her lack of Zetsu gave her position away like a sore thumb. Sai almost felt sorry for her, as she knew Illumi noticed her.

"First things first, I have to get rid of an insect…" Illumi said, throwing one of his needles in the direction of the sniper. His arm moved so fast that Sai only caught it as a blur.

A rustle in the trees was heard before a body dropped to the ground. Her sniper rifle fell after her in a clatter. A shiny, golden knob was embedded in the center of her forehead. She was dead. Illumi walked over to her body and took the number 80 plate in her pocket.

Sai watched Illumi walk away from the corpse and walked deeper into the forest. She found herself holding her breath the whole time. She shakily exhaled and slumped against the tree. She didn't understand she was hiding. His power was still like an overwhelming wall she could never see pass. She had wondered all these years why Illumi didn't kill her. He could have easily done so. She never understood him, but she was grateful for his tutelage. If he does decide to kill her in the end, she would not regret it. After all, he was the same…the same as Hisoka…and probably the same as herself…all having an unquenchable bloodlust.

Deciding it was time to hunt for her target, Sai leapt through the trees as her eyes scanned for the three Amori Brothers.

Sai felt the wind blow against her face, clearing her face of her white hair as she leaped through the trees. The Goz's blood on her face had dried, caking up in areas around her right cheek and chin. She had been searching for half an hour and still haven't seen anyone. _Are they all dead...?_ Sai thought, annoyed.

As soon as she thought that, she noticed a flash of white that caught her eyes. She tried to locate the source, only realizing it was Killua's hair in the distance. Sai concealed herself a few meters away from him in the trees. She surveyed her surroundings only to notice the weakest of the Amori Brothers following him. She did a mental facepalm at him. You don't even need Nen to be able to sense him. It was obvious and she was sure Killua already knew about someone tailing him.

Sai followed them for the next two days, hoping the two other brothers would show up and she could easily take all their plates. Killua still looked like in top condition even without food or sleep for two full days. But the Imori was already starting to look ragged and weak. Sai sighed. _Why are people even allowed to take this exam if you don't have the minimum endurance…? Jeez…_

During this time, Sai had noticed another person following them as well. His stealth was perfectly executed and he never let his guard down. His movements were almost ninja-like. Although his movements weren't soundless like an assassin's, but it was still competently inaudible and moved with accuracy. If he had learned Nen, he could possibly pose as a future threat to her. _Could he be after one of their plates…?_

Suddenly, Killua stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"If you're not going to show yourself, I'm going to come to you," Killua said casually. "What a pain…"

Then, Sai saw the two other brothers approach them from behind. As they carried their conversation, Sai carefully watched for a good moment to strike. When Imori kicked Killua in the stomach, Killua stood back up and revealed that he stole his plate, number 198. Reading that as her cue, Sai silently jumped down from the trees. Using the shadow from the trees, she ran behind the two older brothers and knocked them out with a chop on the neck each, effectively knocking them both out cold. She searched through their pockets and found both of their plates. She even found an extra one, possibly being one of their targets.

"Nii-chan?!" Imori exclaimed as he saw the bodies of his brothers fall to the ground. Sai emerged from the shadows with three plates in her hands.

"Oi. Trade you," Sai said to Killua with a smirk. "For these."

"Deal," Killua said with a slight grin, throwing his number 198 at Sai. She caught it with ease and threw her three plates back at Killua.

"What are you going to do with the extra plates?" Sai asked as she pocketed her target plate.

"Well…one's going to go this way," Killua said throwing a plate as hard as he could towards the eastern direction. "And this one will go this way." The other plate flew to the west. Sai saw a movement in the trees, indicating that the ninja was following one of the plates as it flew in the distance. She couldn't help but to grin at Killua's slyness.

"You're evil," Sai said with a smirk.

"Eh, you noticed it?" Killua asked. "He was annoying me. Making me do all the work. Thought I would switch the plates and make him follow the wrong one." Sai could almost see his cat ears perk up as he smirked evilly. She liked how his mind was like hers. She would've done the same…but probably, much worse.

"How long were you following me?" Killua asked.

"Two days." Sai replied.

"Che." _I didn't sense her at all. I thought it was only the ninja and the stupid Amori brother._ Killua thought. He stared at Sai. He noticed her face partially encrusted with dry blood. The tips of her white hair were stained and parts of her clothes were also splattered with blood. _Was she in a fight before…?_

"Oi. They're not dead. He just knocked them out," Killua said impatiently to the moping Imori.

"…Later," Sai said as she headed deeper into the forest.

"Oi…Aren't you going to head towards the start of the exam?" Killua asked, confused.

"We still have four days," Sai said without turning her head back.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Gon." Sai figured she had nothing to do since she finished early. She might as well enjoy the nature around her and find out how Gon was faring with Hisoka. There was an uneasiness that churned in her stomach when she imagined Gon going against Hisoka. It was like throwing an egg against a rock. She couldn't imagine a good ending. She continued to walk deeper into the forest until she noticed someone following behind her.

"…Stop following me," Sai said, exasperated.

"I'm not," Killua replied, walking behind Sai with his hands in his pockets. He was starting to get on her nerves. She just wanted to be alone right now.

"Wonder what's Gon doing," Killua said casually.

"…"

Sai picked up her pace, going twenty percent of her maximum speed. Suddenly Killua sped up as well, enough to even run ahead of her. Irritated, Sai increased her speed again, this time to seventy percent. She easily overtook him in a blink of an eye, glancing at him smugly as she passed by him. Killua was frustrated and used all his strength to keep up to Sai's pace, both now running side by side. Sai was surprised by his capability and stared at him as she ran, his teeth was clenching as sweat dripped down his face. But pride got the better of her as she further increased her speed enough to run in front of Killua. A small smirk slid on her face when she saw Killua's slightly dejected face. But before she could bathe in her glory, she abruptly stopped. This caused Killua to crash straight into Sai's back. The impact was so intense that it knocked Sai off her feet and landed on her face. Killua, laying on Sai's back, was groaning, and rubbing his now pained face. He gingerly touched his nose to see if it was broken. He sighed in relief when he realized his nose was still the same.

"Oi! Why would you stop-"

Sai immediately sat up, grabbed his head, and placed her hand over his mouth to silence him. She could sense _he_ was near. Sai closed her eyes and tried to use all her senses to locate his direction. _This bloodlust…I can't be wrong…it's Hisoka_. Sai thought.

Sai felt Killua slapping her the hand that covered his mouth. She looked down at him in aggravation, not in the mood to play around when there was a serious threat around. She gasped as she saw Killua turning blue. She quickly lifted her hand and Killua desperately gulped and choked for air. She didn't realize she had both pinched his nose _and_ covered his mouth simultaneously.

"You IDIOT-"

Sai covered his mouth again, this time making sure he could breathe through his nose. Sai shushed him in urgency.

"Killua. Hisoka's ahead of us in about a hundred meters," Sai quickly whispered to him.

Sai felt him calm down and she lifted her hand off his mouth. Killua looked straight at her.

"Seriously?"

Sai nodded. She looked towards Hisoka's direction and caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Her eyes widen as she identified the source.

Killua, on the other hand, noticed his position and shot up. Sai had cradled his head on her lap when she hurriedly covered his mouth, as if she was trying to use her body to protect him. It was a little too intimate for Killua, and his realization made his cheeks tinge pink. _Is he even a guy?!...Doing such an embarrassing thing…_ Killua thought, furiously scratching his back of his head.

"O-Oi…don't touch me next tim-"

"Killua." The seriousness in Sai's tone made him look up. "I think Gon's with Hisoka."

"…What?"

"Let's go." Sai dusted herself and began to walk in the direction of where Hisoka is. "Do you know how to track someone without being detected?"

"Eh? I used to do it all the time during my old job."

"Okay. We'll just make sure Gon's alive. Don't do anything rash."

"…I should be the one saying that…" Killua said, narrowing his eyes at Sai.

They didn't run too far until they spotted a clearing in the forest. There was a single, large oak tree in the center, and Hisoka was sitting right below it. Both Sai and Killua crouched in a bush, unmoving. A small swarm of crimson-colored butterflies gathered at his wound on his right shoulder. Hisoka wasn't do anything. He had his left knee propped up as occasionally played with the butterflies.

Sai sensed Gon a few feet away, hidden in the bushes as well. Sai was impressed; he did a good job of concealing his presence even without Nen. Like a wild animal, staying completely still and unnoticed until the instant of attack. She also sensed another presence near Gon. _Hisoka sure is popular tonight…_ Sai thought humorlessly. Then suddenly, Hisoka moved.

"Come out. I know you're there," Hisoka said with a grin.

All of them froze in place.

"If you won't come out…I'll come to you," Hisoka said, getting to his feet.

Sai's heart was pounding so loudly she was sure Hisoka could hear it. _Did we get caught? Did we come here to die?!_ Sai thought. She could hear Killua's rough breathing as well. Sai frantically thought about her options as Hisoka started walking towards them. Then to everyone's relief, Goz revealed himself from the bush.

"I challenge you to a duel," he said to Hisoka.

"You'll die," Hisoka responded, with his same joker smile.

At that moment, Sai noticed another presence. He was a couple of meters away, up in the trees and behind Gon. And she presumed that his was probably targeting Gon. Sai contemplated if she should risk exposing her position to go over and tell Gon about his pursuer. She glanced at the fight between Goz and Hisoka. _No…I can't make it…Goz won't last that long…_ Sai thought.

At that moment, a handful of needles were throw at Goz's face, killing him on the spot.

"Sorry, sorry. I carelessly let him escape from me." Sai recognized this voice. It was Illumi in his Gittarackur voice.

"Liar. He probably begged you to let him fight me," Hisoka reasoned.

 _Spot on…_ Sai thought, sweat dropping.

"It was pitiful. He was going to die either way. Hisoka, you've let your prey get away many times too, haven't you?" Illumi said.

"I have a standard. I only spare those whose death would go to waste."

At this point, Sai stopped listening to their conversation and turned to face Killua. She motioned him to back away.

And after they walked a good distance away, Sai told Killua what she noticed.

"Killua. Someone's tailing Gon. I think he might be the target," Sai said.

"That seems logical. So? Any plans?"

"I was going to tell Gon. But I just thought of a better idea. I'll just kill his pursuer," Sai said, her eyes glinted darkly as the corner of her mouth curved upwards ever so slightly.

Killua stayed quiet after Sai told him this. _Just who is he? He must be an assassin of some sort…_ Killua thought.

"I thought we needed to watch Gon," Killua finally said.

"That's why I'm telling you this. You're going to continue following Gon."

"No."

Sai stared at him, not comprehending his answer.

"What…?"

"I'm coming too."

"We're not playing around right now Killua…"

"Gon will be fine by himself. Plus, we have your nose to find him again," Killua said. _Maybe I can see some of Sai's abilities too…it'll give me some hint at least. He could be trying to trick me and assassinate me for all I know…_ Killua thought.

Sai put a finger to her chin, pondering her choices. _That's true…Hisoka doesn't seem to notice Gon yet. It's probably best if I take care of his pursuer…he poses a bigger threat right now._

"Alright…we'll surround him from behind," Sai said, sighing. She preferred working alone. Teamwork tends to add too many risky variables for the success of the mission.

Both Sai and Killua instantly disappeared from their original spot, leaping several feet forwards away. They diverged their paths when they both sensed the figure in the trees, a few meters behind Gon. They spotted an Afro puff hairstyle. He wore a heavy short-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and his dark skin played him a favor as he concealed himself well in the shadows of the trees. Sai noticed his large, traditional blowgun on his back, which she suspected it to fire some sort of poison darts or arrows. _That's strange…why doesn't he attack Gon?_ Sai thought. Then it hit her. He must be waiting for something. Was it because Hisoka was near that he didn't dare attack? Was he waiting for the perfect moment? In any case, Sai knew he was a shrewd and cautious man. He probably sticks to the old traditions of hunting and prefers lying in wait then taking down his prey in one shot.

Sai smirked at the situation. _So, the hunter becomes the hunted..._ She looked across at Killua's direction and shook her head to signal him to stop any attacks, earning an annoyed expression on his face. Killing the man now would probably attract Hisoka's attention, since any ounce of sakki coming from Sai or Killua would blow their cover. They would have to wait until Hisoka's distracted. This way, they could keep an eye on Gon as well. Sai leaped on a tree branch just a meter away from the dark-skinned man and laid comfortably against the tree trunk. She closed her eyes and raised her arms up behind her head. Her senses still on full alert, being able to detect any sudden changes of tension.

"Oi…" Sai suddenly heard Killua's voice in a whisper next to her. She had sensed him approaching and she opened her eyes to confirm it. He looked more than just mad.

"I thought we were taking him out," Killua said in a quiet, low tone. His eyes were dark and merciless.

"Change of plans. I don't want to blow our cover. We'll wait for a chance to kill him," Sai said simply, closing her eyes again.

Sai felt a shift in movement from Killua and felt something sharp press against her throat. She opened her eyes again to see that his hand had been transformed into claws. His nails felt sharper than knives. "Don't mess with me…" Killua said in the same low tone.

This angered Sai. _Who does he think he is?_ Sai thought, as she leaned forward to provoke him. Her Ten had protected her from many weapons, and Killua's claws were no exception. He did no damage to her. He couldn't even puncture through her skin.

Killua widened his eyes. He had expected his claws to easily draw some blood to threaten Sai, like for his many victims before. Even with the added pressure from Sai leaning forward, his claw had no effect. _Just what type of skin does he have?!_ Killua thought incredulously. _Is this one of his abilities?!_

Sai did a small smirk at his panicked state. "Don't worry. Just wait for when Hisoka is distracted. Then we kill him."

Killua slightly calmed down, as he realized her intentions. His expression soon reverted to an irritated one. But before he could retort, he felt a blast of dark-blood lusting aura. Sai simultaneously had felt this as well, shocking her to the point of almost falling off the tree branch. They both looked at each other in shock and they knew; it was Hisoka's.

Without a word, Sai and Killua both ran towards Gon's direction, abandoning the mission of killing the pursuer. They knew now, Hisoka would kill anyone that crossed his path, regardless of who it was. As they reached the clearing, they had just seen Gon grappling Hisoka's nameplate from his chest with his fishing rod. Hisoka had killed his opponent, who was someone unfamiliar to Sai. Hisoka had an expression of surprised as he looked at Gon, his mouth slightly hanging agape. _Where did he come from? …And what did he do?_ Hisoka thought. He looked down at spot on his chest where the plate was supposed to be pinned, confirming his surprise when he saw the missing plate. His aura had temporarily diminished, possibly from his astonishment. Gon stood at his spot, panting. His expression told Sai that even he himself was surprised that he had managed such a feat.

Hisoka's mouth slowly curled up into a smile, his eyes still wide from excitement. As he took a step towards Gon, Gon immediately dashed away, in case he was trying to take his nameplate back. Sai and Killua took that as a cue to follow Gon, running silently through the trees from above. It hadn't been even one minute since they ran when both Sai and Killua noticed Gon stagger in his tracks and eventually fall forward on the ground, unmoving. Sai was about to jump down from the trees to check on him when a dark figure emerged from behind.

"Approximately, seven thousand times. That's the number of chances I had to kill you," the dark-skinned man said self-righteously, as he searched for Gon's plate in his pack. "But I must admit, I am impressed by your concentration and accuracy. Next time, remember to watch your own back."

As Sai watched the man walk away with Gon's plate, she clenched her teeth in frustration. She had forgotten all about Gon's pursuer and had focused all her attention on Hisoka and Gon. Irritated by her own carelessness, she jumped down from the trees and speedily followed the man. When Sai stopped her Zetsu and let her presence known, the dark-skinned man whipped around and took a defensive stance with his blowgun ready to fire.

"Must feel nice…to steal from handicapped kid," Sai muttered in a quiet, low tone. Her eyes were dark with detestation, and her mouth was slightly curved in a fiendish grin. As Sai walked forward towards the now unstable man, he hastily shot one of his poison darts at her chest. Sai easily dodged the projectile with a shift of her body and continued to advance towards him. The dark man tripped backwards and fell on his buttocks but continued to move backwards. He knew Sai was dangerous.

"My, my…if it isn't Sai-kun."

Sai whipped her head up and dread built in her chest. Hisoka was a few couple of meters away in front of her, his right hand holding five cards as he walked towards her. He was grinning, as if her situation was an amusing one.

"You…on the ground. What kind of poison did you use?" Hisoka questioned, towering over the now trembling figure below.

"It's j-just…a muscle relaxant…" the dark-skinned man shakily replied, unable to stop his involuntary quivering. "It usually t-takes ten days to recover. I s-swear I didn't kill him!"

"Mm…I see…"

The dark-skinned man suddenly gasped as blood dribbled from his mouth, his eyes wide. His body suddenly slumped forward and fell to the floor. Sai could see three cards embedded deep into his back, internally rupturing his main arteries. The blood quickly soaked through his red shirt. It was instant death.

Sai's eyes were wide in surprise and fear. She couldn't move her legs to even escape as sweat started to bead on her forehead and her breath started to quicken. She could feel her heart pounding so hard that it threatened to leap out of her mouth. Hisoka was an overwhelming force she can't defeat, nor can she even possibly imagine surpassing. He could kill her now. As easily as he killed the man in front of her.

Hisoka walked forward and searched dead body. Sai used all her strength to take one step backwards. Sweat was dripping down her face now, her body under immense stress at the threat in front of her. Her pupils dilated, observing Hisoka's every move.

"Relax…I'm not going to attack you. Luckily, it turns out he was my target," Hisoka said in an amused voice. "You all surprised me. Marvelous…" Hisoka took his target plate and pinned it on the front of his shirt. He lifted the dead body by the collar and dragged it like a ragdoll. "I'm giving Gon my plate to commend him. Do you want to play with me afterwards, Sai-kun? ❤"

Sai looked straight forward; she couldn't even have the will to look at Hisoka. She could feel herself trembling. Her eyes were still broadened with fear. It could be because she had fought with Hisoka, that the fear was more intense than before because she knew what he was capable of and she was years too early to take him on. There was still something about him that still irked her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it either, but she knew he was bad news for her in every aspect.

Hisoka chuckled at Sai's state and walked in Gon's direction. _Still unripe…but half way there…_ Hisoka grinned widely at the thought, his muscles tensing in excitement. He gripped tightly at the corpse to calm himself.

When Hisoka was gone, Killua jumped down from the trees where he was observing and approached Sai's unmoving form.

"Oi…you okay?" Killua asked, puzzled at Sai's prolonged stillness. When he received no response, he wondered if Sai was really that scared of Hisoka. Killua didn't want to fight Hisoka himself, but his fear was not as comparable as to Sai's. Getting irritated, Killua tried again.

"Oi, we have to check on Gon."

Still no response. Killua grew a bulging vein on his forehead. Not wanting to waste any more time, Killua took his right hand and swung hard against Sai's left cheek. Killua half expected Sai to dodge, but his slap successfully collided with her cheek, echoing a loud smack.

Sai blinked. And blinked again. Her left cheek was stinging. She brought her hand to her now red cheek and spotted Killua in front of her. Realizing that he had attacked her, her eyes blazed in a temporary rage. _How dare this puny kid hit me_. Sai thought, gritting her teeth.

"O-Oi, it was the only way-"

Before Killua could finish his sentence, he had flown a few meters away from Sai. She had returned him the favor with a hard punch to his left cheek. Calming down from being able to vent her frustrations, Sai started to walk briskly to where Gon was.

"Hurry up," Sai said curtly, without turning back.

"Sai…stupid idiot…" Killua muttered, rubbing his now swollen cheek.

* * *

"Gon!"

Sai saw Gon's crumpled body on the floor, one of his cheek swollen from a powerful impact. She checked for his pulse and confirmed that he was still alive. She sat down and propped his head on her lap. She noticed the two plates lying next to his body, numbered 405 and 44. Sai deduced that Gon, given his personality, refused Hisoka's plate and therefore, earning himself a nice punch to the face. _Honestly, Gon is sometimes so…_ Sai couldn't hold it in anymore as she punched Gon on the head.

"…Ow," Gon managed to mutter in his state.

"You're awake, baka. If Sai didn't hit you, I would have. What were you thinking of doing against Hisoka," Killua said.

"Killua, let's find some shelter. He's not going to be able to move for a few days," Sai said.

"We only have three days left," Killua reminded.

"I have an idea."

Sai pulled Gon onto her back, piggybacking him until she and Killua found the right spot to let him rest. Rain had suddenly begun to fall. The water in their shoes squelched uncomfortably and their wet clothes clung to their skin as they ran. They ran through the forest for a few more minutes until they spotted a large tree trunk, split open at the base. Without saying anything, Killua and Sai immediately entered the large hollow.

As they entered, they noticed how much smaller the space was. They both had to slightly bend over when they stood inside the tree. The area was large enough to barely fit three small, sleeping people if they were to lay down. It was dark inside, the rainy weather not benefitting them either. Sai flipped her wet hair out of her face and laid Gon down, facing upwards. She used the pack on his back as his pillow. Realizing that Gon was suddenly shivering, she put a hand to his forehead.

"He's burning up," Sai said.

"Is there anything we can do?" Killua asked.

"Try to start a fire. I'll go get some herbs."

Without hesitation, Killua immediately started to strip the inner bark of the tree. He took a dry, thin branch laying nearby and placed it between his palms. He started rubbing his palms back and forth with incredible speed, with the branch creating friction against the bark. It was not too long until a small slither of smoke appeared at the end of the branch.

"Aren't you supposed to be picking some grass?" Killua sarcastically told Sai, catching her staring at him while he was making fire.

Wordlessly, Sai left the temporary shelter. She was honestly surprised Killua knew how to make fire. She only knew how because Illumi dumped her at random jungle for a few months, when she was still training. Shaking the memories out of her head, she headed out into the rain again. Seeing the herbs nearby, she tore them from the ground and hurriedly stuffed as much as she could in her pockets and dashed back to where Killua and Gon were.

* * *

"What are you doing…?"

Sai ignored Killua's question. Killua was poking at the now small flame in front of him with a tree branch, occasionally adding more dry leaves to encourage the flame to grow. His expression was between shock and confusion as he watched what Sai was doing. Sai was sitting on the ground next to Gon, where Killua had moved him back in the driest part in their shelter. She had laid out the herbs she had gathered earlier in front of her. The plant had small daisy flowers with palm-sized green leaves underneath, and each flower had a large, reddish bulb root connected to it. Sai stripped off all the leaves, including the daisy flower that was attached to the root, and used her fingers to brush off the dirt that clung onto it. Once she inspected it to relatively clean, she took a large bite out of it.

"Oi! Why are you eating it?!"

Sai immediately tasted the pungent, medicinal flavor of the root as the juices hit her tongue. She couldn't help but grimace at the sharp taste of bitterness as she continued to chew.

"This is bloodroot," Sai explained to Killua in between her chews, her face still showing the unpleasant taste of the rhizome.

Sai lifted Gon's head onto her lap again and tilted his chin up. His face was still flushed from the fever and beads of sweat formed on his face. His brows were furrowed and his breaths were quick and ragged; he seemed to be in pain even in his unconscious state. Sai placed her cold hands on the sides of his face, which he immediately reacted to and looked even slightly relieved, appreciating the coolness. Still cupping his face, Sai leaned forward and pressed her mouth over his. She opened her mouth and pushed the pulped contents of the root into his mouth with her tongue, making sure Gon swallowed.

"W-WHA…WHAT ARE YOU DOING…?!" Killua exclaimed, his face turning beet red. His face had an uncharacteristically embarrassed yet shocked expression. He watched Sai give him an unamused look and continued to take another bite of the root.

"Do you want to do it then?" Sai said to him in between her bites again. After a few more chews and not receiving any response from Killua, Sai leaned forward and covered her mouth over Gon's again. The process took a few minutes before Sai deemed it to be enough. Killua, on the other hand, had to turn his head away. His face burned from embarrassment.

"Bloodroot…," Sai started to explain, slightly annoyed at Killua's unhelpfulness. "If taken in high dosages, it can induce vomiting."

"W-Why…do you want him to vomit?" Killua asked, his face still steaming.

"It would purge the poison from his body faster."

As if on cue, Gon immediately propped himself up and heaved to vomit. Sai gently patted his back as he emptied the contents in his stomach. "Killua, can you get some water?" Sai said.

"Hah…" Killua muttered as he left the camp and stood in the rain. It was still raining heavily, but Killua appreciated it as it washed away his earlier embarrassment. He had never experienced something like in his life. Sai's actions were too friendly, even if it was trying to help Gon. He probably could never do something like that. But what surprised him was Sai. Killua never would have thought Sai to be the type of person to help someone like that, especially to that extent. Someone as emotionless and cold, could be gentle and caring? The person who possibly killed Tonpa without a blink of an eye? It seemed absurd to Killua, and he tried to convince himself that was the real reason of his shock.

Killua picked a large leaf nearby and folded it into a cone, standing in the rain to collect water. _That's right…Sai just kissed Gon because he had to help him…It's not like he's into other guys…_ Killua thought, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. When the water had overfilled his leaf-cone, Killua headed back into their base. But what he saw inside made him go red again.

"Why are you taking off his clothes?!" Killua exclaimed as he walked in their shelter, the water in his hands nearly spilling out. Sai had already taken off Gon's outerwear and was about to pull his white tank over his head, exposing his chest.

"I'm drying them, idiot," Sai said, laying Gon's clothing near the fire to dry. She was getting really irritated of how Killua keeps questioning her actions. "Give Gon the water."

Killua knelt beside Gon, noticing that his complexion was considerably better. He slowly poured the water into his mouth, occasionally giving him time to swallow. While he was doing this, his eyes never left Sai. _Is Sai going to take everything off him…?_

Sai took off her own jacket to lay it next to the fire. The white shirt she had inside was completely soaked, revealing the bandages that bound her chest. Killua immediately noticed it and wondered if Sai was recently injured. She caught his stare and followed his gaze to her own torso.

"I'm a boy," Sai immediately said, trying to hide the slight panic she was feeling.

"Hah…? I know that," Killua said, confused at Sai's abrupt statement. "Did you get injured or something?"

"…I guess so."

Killua was bewildered at Sai's vagueness. _Why is he hiding something again…?_ Killua thought. Feeling that he was always unable to understand Sai, he gruffly pulled his own long-sleeved shirt over his head and placed it near the fire. He sat near the fire pit, still staring at Sai, trying to decipher the constant mysteries that revolved around her.

Sai's white hair was completely damp, her fringes clinging on her face. The water had weighed down her hair, making her hair seem longer than it usually was. Sai, now feeling cold from the rain, placed both of her hands near the fire to try to warm up. The fire had lit up her face, making Killua clearly seeing Sai's facial features closely for the first time. Her cyan eyes were bright and large, and to some extent slanted like a cat's. Her nose was small and delicate, slightly red from the cold. Sai's high cheekbones was really what made her face seem feminine.

The fire had now grown into a medium sized flame, occasionally crackling in the long silence. A list of questions bombarded Killua's mind as he began to think: _How did Sai know about the bloodroot? Why does he care about Gon? H-How can he k-kiss him that easily? Why does he look so girly? Who exactly is he…?_ Killua thought for a long while, and his questions still went unanswered. And slowly, comforted by the warmth and the flickering flame, Killua felt his eyes become heavy and leaned against the bark of the tree. _I'll just figure it out tomorrow…_

Sai looked at Killua, hearing his breathing becoming more deep and rhythmic. She knew he fell asleep. She let out a long sigh and leaned against the tree herself. She wasn't even quite sure why she helped Gon. It was the first time she had ever took care of someone. Did she want his friendship? Did she want to use Gon to get close to Killua? She wasn't sure. Gon attracted her in ways she never expected in humans; his genuineness and his clear, honest eyes. He was free of greed, hatred, and death; the darkness that she grew up with. And she knew he was type to go all out for his friends. _Maybe having friends isn't so bad…_ Sai thought. She looked from Gon's sleeping form to the defenseless Killua who was fast asleep, and her mouth formed a small smile. _It feels nice…just the three of us, isolated from the world…_

As she reached for her now dry jacket, Sai's head suddenly throbbed from an intense wave of migraine, making her collapse on the floor. She felt herself shivering from the cold, wet shirt on her body, before darkness quickly engulfed her consciousness.

* * *

 **A/N: HEHE. Bet you guys weren't expecting that. :D Once again, I'm really sorry for not updating frequently. I've decided to update every Tuesday, and if I have ample time, Thursday of that same week as well. So basically, it's updates once a week, twice if I have time.** **Thanks for reading and understanding! Please rate & review! ^^**


	7. Chapter 7: Friends x Sweets x Revealed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH! I only own Sai. Please don't steal my work or post it anywhere else. Thank you! ^_^

Thank you for all the follows/favorites/reviews! Enjoy!

**EDIT: So sorry if you got two notifications of the new chapter! I got an error when I attempted to post the first time, so I reposted the chapter :x

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Friends x Sweets x Revealed**

* * *

 _Sai looked at Killua, hearing his breathing becoming more deep and rhythmic. She knew he fell asleep. She let out a long sigh and leaned against the tree herself. She wasn't even quite sure why she helped Gon. It was the first time she had ever took care of someone. Did she want his friendship? Did she want to use Gon to get close to Killua? She wasn't sure. Gon attracted her in ways she never expected in humans; his genuineness and his clear, honest eyes. He was free of greed, hatred, and death; the darkness that she grew up with. And she knew he was type to go all out for his friends. Maybe having friends isn't so bad…Sai thought. She looked from Gon's sleeping form to the defenseless Killua who was fast asleep, and her mouth formed a small smile. It feels nice…just the three of us, isolated from the world…_

 _As she reached for her now dry jacket, Sai's head suddenly throbbed from an intense wave of migraine, making her collapse on the floor. She felt herself shivering from the cold, wet shirt on her body, before darkness quickly engulfed her consciousness._

* * *

Gon had woken up from the cool morning breeze that brushed against his skin. He could smell last night's rainfall. He sat up sleepily and rubbed his eyes, and then stretched in the direction of the sun just shining its warm golden light over their shelter. The entire grass field outside was glowing under its morning warmth, the dew still plainly visible on all the blades of grass nearby.

"Ah!" Gon exclaimed, noticing that he could control his muscles now. He started to do some stretches, such as: touching his toes, doing some oblique pulls, and arching backwards.

"Oh. You're finally awake," Killua said, yawning.

"Mm! I'm completely fine now!" Gon said, now upside down and doing a handstand. "Ne Killua, how long have I been sleeping for?"

"Mm…About a day and a half."

"Oh, I see. I think I dreamt of Mito-san. I felt her cool hands on my face when I was asleep and it felt so nice," Gon said dreamily, gushing at his memories. "She smelled really good too."

"That was Sai taking care of you last night, baka," Killua said, pointing over at where Sai laid. He suddenly noticed the way Sai was oddly laying on the ground; it was more like she fell there rather than just simple sleeping position.

"Is Sai okay?" Gon asked, crawling on his hands and knees towards her. Both Gon and Killua slowly approached Sai, now noticing her rough breathing and flushed face.

"Ah. He probably caught your fever, Gon," Killua said, staring at Sai's pained face.

"Eh? I had a fever?"

"Yeah. Then Sai kissed you and took your clothes off."

"EH?!"

"You don't remember anything?"

"Not really…I just remember…cool hands…and a nice smell…" Gon said trailing off, embarrassed.

"You're a real pervert, you know," Killua said, snickering.

"Killua!" Gon exclaimed, slightly red. "Why did Sai kiss me? And where's my clothes?"

"He was trying to feed you some bloodroot herb thing. And your clothes are by the fire, drying."

"So, Sai was trying to help me! He's a good friend, isn't he?" Gon said, beaming. "How can we help him?"

"He looked like you last night, all sweating and having trouble breathing."

"Maybe we should give him the root thing…"

"We probably shouldn't. Sai said it was to induce vomit for your case, because you were poisoned. It would be useless for him, and maybe even worsen his condition."

"I see…" Gon said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He felt hopeless and guilty because Sai had managed to take care of him the whole night.

"We should probably start by taking his shirt off. His sweat is soaking through his clothes," Killua said, not knowing what else to do either.

"Mm!" Gon replied.

Killua slowly flipped Sai around so she was facing upright instead of fronting the ground. Stray strands of white hair stuck onto her face and her mouth was slightly parted open to breathe better. Killua lifted the edge of her shirt and attempted to pull upwards. Her flat, toned stomach was exposed, and Killua continued to pull upwards until the bandages binding her chest were peeking out. At this moment, Sai had regained some consciousness and immediately pushed Killua's hands away, unstably trying to sit up and pulled her shirt back down.

"Oi, you okay?" Killua said.

"I'm fine," Sai managed to say, her head still heavy and spinning. "Gon…you recovered?"

"Completely! Ne Sai, are you injured? You have bandages around your chest."

She didn't have the strength to explain herself, so instead she opted to change the subject. "Gon…we have one day left. We should move to the starting point of the exam."

"That's true…but your condition…"

"I'm completely okay," Sai replied confidently as she stood up, her body swaying side to side as she began to walk forward. Only to fall and faceplant on the ground.

"Yeah right…" Killua said sarcastically, watching Sai struggle to get up.

"Then you must tell us when you want to rest, Sai," Gon said as he tried to help her up, looking concerned.

Sai spotted a meter-long stick on the floor and picked it up to use as a walking stick. She picked up her pace, relying on the stick for support. The fever was clouding her vision as well as her mind. She couldn't think properly at this point and the only thing that drove her forward was the time limit they had left.

"I wonder if Sai's going to be okay," Gon said, his face was clouded with worry. "I feel like it was my fault he got a fever."

"No point blaming yourself Gon. Let's go. We should be there in a few hours…probably."

* * *

"So? Do you see anyone?" Leorio asked.

"No…no one that could be easily spotted," Kurapika responded, sighing.

"Damn…"

"Maybe we should split up to search?"

"It'll go faster with more people," Gon said from above. He jumped down from the tree and smiled at his friends.

"Gon!" Leorio and Kurapika exclaimed in unison.

"Ehehe. I smelled Leorio's cologne and I knew you were nearby. Killua and Sai are with me too!"

Killua appeared out of the shadows of the trees with his hands in his pocket, followed by Sai, still supported by her walking stick. Her face was now fully flushed from the physical activity of walking over an hour, while still holding up her fever. She was panting heavily, her mind on the verge of unconsciousness from overexertion.

"Are you okay, Sai?" Kurapika asked, concerned about her appearance. Sai was usually calm and collected, and to see her like this must mean something had happened.

Leorio wordlessly walked over to Sai and put his hand on her forehead, his face stern and serious. He knelt on the floor and opened his suitcase, pulling out a small jar full of white pills.

"Sai, you have a high fever. Take this and rest for a while."

Sai didn't respond, nor did she notice Leorio in front of her. She stared in front of her, her eyes wide and crazed with exhaustion. She unconsciously leaned against her walking stick, panting heavily.

"Sai…are you okay?" Gon said, approaching her. Sai didn't react to Gon either. Her mind was numbed, completely shut off from the fever.

Kurapika walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sai…it's okay. You can stop now," Kurapika said gently. Finally, as if her body responded to his words, Sai lost consciousness fell forward. Kurapika caught Sai by the shoulders as her head hit against his chest.

"Lay him down over here and let me check him, Kurapika," Leorio said.

Kurapika easily lifted Sai off the ground, carrying the petite body in both of his arms. He placed Sai in front of Leorio, who was already pulling out his stethoscope from his suitcase. When Kurapika was about to pull his arms away, he realized that Sai had clung onto his right sleeve, not letting go.

"Oya, oya. Looks like Sai could be cute sometimes too," Leorio said, grinning. Kurapika gave a small smile at Sai's unusual behavior, pleasantly surprised at her rare, kid-like state. He sat next to Sai, letting her continue to hold onto him.

"I've noticed that Sai's used to exerting himself to the limit…I wonder what drove him to this point," Killua said, pondering to himself.

Leorio placed the chest piece of the stethoscope over Sai's chest, only to take it off again with a look of confusion. He lifted Sai's shirt to reveal the binding on her chest again.

"Ah, Sai was injured there before," Gon said, trying to explain what Sai had told him before.

"I see," Leorio said and placed the chestpiece on her back instead, listening for any irregularities. "Sai's fine. He just needs some acetaminophen, and plenty of water and rest. Oh, Gon and Killua, could you get some water?"

Gon nodded and the both of them ran off. Leorio started to put his equipment back into his suitcase, his face serious and in deep thought.

"Sai doesn't seem like your normal twelve-year-old boy," Kurapika said, echoing Leorio's own thoughts.

"Huh? A-Ah…yes. That's right," Leorio replied. "But…you can't say Gon and Killua are normal either."

"That's true," Kurapika said with a small laugh.

"Water's here!" Gon exclaimed, half spilling the water from his homely made leaf-cup. Leorio took placed one of the white pills in Sai's mouth and tilted her chin upwards. He took Gon's cup and slowly poured the water in her mouth. Killua was thankful that Sai swallowed by herself and so he wouldn't have to witness another kissing scene.

"Okay! Now that Sai is taken care of, we should get going," Leorio said, getting up. "By the way, did you guys see any people on your way here?"

"Mm well…We didn't see any people but we know where some of them are," Gon said.

"You do? Where?!"

"There was this odd cave we passed by. Sai and I both smelled something weird inside."

"Eh? Weird smell?"

"He means it doesn't smell natural. It's probably someone who released poison or sleeping gas," Killua explained.

"Ah, I see. Is it far away? Leorio asked. "You see…I haven't gotten my target yet…"

"Ossan, you sure are slow. Us three kids already got ours, you know," Killua said.

"What did you say?!" Leorio bellowed.

"Stop it, Leorio," Kurapika said frowning, "We still need to find your target." He knelt next to Sai's sleeping form and carefully tucked his arm under her neck and legs, lifting her up in a bridal carry. "I'll take care of Sai. Gon, could you lead us to the cave?"

"I got it!" Gon said as he sniffed the air around him.

"We'll leave Sai to you, Kurapika," Leorio said. "Let me know first thing if he gets worse." Kurapika nodded to him and looked down at Sai's sleeping face. Sai was wearing an expression he had never seen before, completely different from the usual emotionless front. It was an expression of vulnerability; of innocence. Reminding him once again that Sai was only a twelve-year old kid. He could feel the sweat soaking through Sai's clothes as he held her in his arms. Loose strands of white hair were stuck onto her face due to the sweat. Her nose and cheeks glistened in the sunlight from the perspiration on her face. Kurapika now noticed how delicate Sai's facial features were: a small nose with a tall nose bridge, high cheek bones that made her seem nearly aristocratic, and a small mouth that was now paled from her fever. Sai's eyes were closed but he remembered how clear and deep her cyan-colored eyes were. There was a feeling familiarity that once again panged through Kurapika's heart, as if he was supposed to remember something…something about Sai. He felt her start shivering, a fairly normal symptom of a fever. But unconsciously, Kurapika brought her closer to his chest, trying to warm her body with his own. There was a part of him that wanted to help her and protect her, an irrational side of him that was not justified by reason. Why was he feeling this way? This boy…who seemingly had no relation to him at all. Was there more between them than just a common past and enemy? _I must ask Sai when he wakes up…exactly…who is he?_

As they followed Gon from behind, Killua looked at Sai's head hanging limply against Kurapika's chest, him too surprised at Sai's exposed vulnerability. He found it hard to believe that Sai would let anyone hold him like that, given his personality and abilities. After walking for almost an hour, Sai's breathing had now slightly stabilized and was less ragged compared to before, and her face indicated as such with a relaxed expression.

"Do you like Sai or something?" Killua said monotonously to Kurapika, referring to how he volunteered to carry Sai.

As Kurapika continued walking, he looked Killua for a few seconds before responding. "When you share a similar past with someone, especially when it's full of darkness and hatred, you can't help but to want to team up with them…and I don't think it's wrong to help someone."

"Eh…" Killua muttered. "But…he could still be hiding something."

Kurapika made a small smiled at his comment. "I think everyone has something they want to hide from others. And I think it's better to wait for them to tell us. If Sai's our friend, then we should at least trust him that much."

 _Trust…? Friends? Is that what it means…to be friends?_ Killua thought.

Gon swiftly lead them to a large, rocky cave. The roots of the trees entangled itself at the entrance, as if it was supporting the cave from collapsing. As they approached the cavern, they noticed that it was a tunnel that gradually slanted downwards the further you go. Based on this, they had no idea how far the tunnel was going to take them.

"I'm going in. You guys, wait here," Leorio said as he placed his suitcase on the floor.

"Thirty minutes," Kurapika said as he lightly placed Sai on the grass. "If you don't come out by then, we'll enter."

Leorio unwillingly agreed and took a nearby branch to check the entrance of the cave for traps, poking and jutting at the walls. When he didn't spring any traps, he continued down into the darkness of the cave. But after around twenty minutes, Leorio's scream echoed out of the cave.

"DON'T COME IN HERE…SNAKES!"

* * *

Sai woke up with a jolt, her eyes flying open. She had thought she heard Leorio's scream. She quickly sat up, leaning against one of her arm to regain her balance. Her head felt light and her body was heavy and achy, but she could tell her fever had passed. Squinting in the dimly lit cave, she scanned her surrounds. The first thing she saw was Leorio's unmoving body a few feet away from her with Gon and Killua hovering over him. Kurapika, who kneeling next to Sai, had his attention also on Leorio. Sai also saw two unfamiliar people in the back of the cave. One wore a turban and sat calmly in a meditative position, where the other was a woman, who couldn't be just a few years older than her. She sat in a defensive position and silently observed them.

"Kurapika…what happened?" Sai asked in a quiet, hoarse voice, wondering about Leorio's condition. She did hear him scream after all.

"Leorio was bitten by many vipers because he sprung a trap…and he was in that condition when we arrived," Kurapika explained. "We tried to stop the bleeding but he needs to get medical attention right away."

 _Vipers? Trap? Did someone here set up a trap?_ Sai thought as she observed the unfamiliar man and woman. _Women don't usually like reptiles very much…perhaps it's the man who's the snake charmer?_

"Maybe the man is the snake charmer? We could ask him for the antidote. I would believe most people who deals with poison would leave some kind of leeway for himself," Sai said, voicing her thoughts.

Ponzu widened her eyes. _Impressive…for someone who's just woken up…he catches on fast. Maybe…these people could help me get out of here…_ She thought.

"I'll check his body then," Killua said, walking over to Bourbon. When he reached forward, a mass of vipers swarmed over Bourbon's body, as if engulfing him, with the snakes occasionally snapping its jaws at Killua's outreached hand.

"Eh…he put a trap on himself huh," Killua said amusingly.

"It's no use. He's dead," Ponzu explained. "The snakes are trained to attack anyone who touches their master or leave the cave." Ponzu had hoped, that by sharing this information, they would be able to figure out a way out so she could be freed as well.

"Judging by his wounds, you used Neurotoxic Bees to make him die from anaphylactic shock, didn't you?" Kurapika said, looking at Bourbon's swollen hands.

With a sigh, Ponzu figured she might as well tell her story with these seemingly intelligent applicants around. "Bourbon was my target. After he entered the cave, I sprayed sleeping gas into the entrance. Bourbon was asleep but his trap was already activated. The gas didn't reach the snakes in the back of the cave so when I tried to get his plate, the snakes attacked and I jumped back. But that triggered my attack switch: the bees will attack any nearby human," Ponzu explained. "I've already given up on the exam. All you can do is to wait until help arrives."

"There's still a way," Killua said. "But…if the snake guy doesn't have the antidote on him, we'll have another victim."

"Everyone, look after Leorio. I'm sure we'll find the antidote," Gon said optimistically as he walked towards Bourbon.

"Hey, Gon…" Kurapika said, worried that Gon is attempting to try his chance.

"What are you doing? Didn't you hear what I said?!" Ponzu exclaimed, bewildered that he was going to approach nest of snakes.

Sai silently watched Gon. She knew he was going to let himself get bitten to search Bourbon's body. _But what if the snake charmer didn't have the antidote for some reason. Plus, could we trust what the woman is saying about him? In any case, the worst-case scenario would be having both Gon and Leorio to be poisoned with no antidote…Could I do anything if that happens?_

As soon as Gon grabbed the man's collar, about thirty or so snakes flung its bodies on Gon with their jaws open to clamp their sharp fangs onto him. The snakes intertwined itself around Gon until he looked like he was drowning in a ball of writhing serpents. After a few minutes of still trying to search Bourbon's body, Gon finally stopped his movements and collapsed on his back.

"It's…not there," Gon weakly muttered. Sai could see the holes that the snakes had punctured all over his skin. Blood was freely dripping from his wounds in a constant, steady flow. Sai widened her eyes in realization. The snake's venom didn't just contain poison, it had anticoagulant properties as well. It had the ability to stop blood from clotting and heal, letting the victim to slowly die from blood loss.

Sai felt a feeling of dread creeping in her chest as she scrambled her thoughts in her head to find a solution. _No antidote…? That's highly unlikely…_ Sai thought and slowly landed her eyes on Ponzu. Within a split second, Sai appeared next to Ponzu with her short sword at her neck and looked down at her with emotionless, dark eyes. Sai had followed her gut instincts, and it told her that something was amiss with Ponzu's story.

"W-What are you doing?!" Ponzu nervously exclaimed. _Fast! I didn't even notice him move…!_ She thought.

"…Don't lie," Sai said darkly. Sai wasn't hesitant to start torturing her to get some answers. She had a feeling that something was off about Ponzu's story. It seemed weird that the snakes in the back of the cave weren't affected by the sleeping gas, and Bourbon was. What was even weirder to Sai was how Bourbon didn't have an antidote with him. For an experienced snake charmer, that was hardly believable risk he would take.

"I didn't lie! I told you everything I knew!"

Sai narrowed her eyes, not believing the woman's words. She pressed her sword with more pressure on her neck, piercing through her skin to ooze some blood out. She heard her scream.

At this moment, a swarm of bees came out of her hat and flew full speed towards Sai. Unalarmed, Sai let the bees attack her, knowing that her Ten would be enough to guard against the insects. Sure enough, the bees that tried to puncture Sai fell to the ground from the impact, as if they hit a giant rock instead. Ponzu gasped in surprised at her failed attack, one that have usually worked as her ultimate defense. Sai, who was unfazed, pointed her short at Ponzu once again, her patience depleting quickly.

"O-Okay…I got it. I'll tell you the actual story," Ponzu sighed in defeat as she fumbled through her bag to pull out Bourbon's 103 plate and vial of solution. "What actually happened was…the sleeping gas had reached both Bourbon and his snakes at the back of the cave."

"Then you could search his body at that time," Kurapika said as he analyzed her new story. "But if you had the plate, why didn't you leave immediately?"

Ponzu felt Sai's blade still firmly pressed against her neck and took extra caution to explain herself. "I wasn't completely lying when I said the gas couldn't reach the snakes in the back of cave. Some of the snakes were exposed to the gas for only a while, since it took time for the gas to travel down the long tunnel. So some snakes had enough consciousness to actually act upon their master's order. After I quickly searched his body, a few snakes stirred from their slumber and tried to attack me; I was only able to grab whatever I found, and luckily one of them was his plate. That's when the rest of the story followed when I screamed and my bees attacked him…"

"Why didn't you just tell the truth before?" Killua said as his hand twitched threateningly to turn into claws. "You could've stopped Gon from going through unnecessary danger."

"Would you trust strangers that easily?" Ponzu said nervously, glancing at Sai. "I do feel sorry for the boy but if I told him about the antidote, I would've put myself in a bad position…I don't know if one of you are my target either."

"We can worry about the rest later. Leorio and Gon needs the antidote immediately," Kurapika said with urgency and concern.

"The antidote," Sai demanded to Ponzu. As she handed Sai the vial and syringes, Sai lifted the blade off her neck and heard her slump against the wall in relief. Sai handed the antidote to Kurapika and he carefully turned the vial upside down to draw the contents into the syringe.

"I thought you would've killed her," Killua said casually, his arms crossed as he leaned against the cave wall. "It's not like you haven't done it before."

Sai knew Killua was referring to how she killed Tonpa. She glanced at Gon to answer his question, who was now in a better condition after Kurapika injected him with the antidote. Killua understood what Sai meant from her glimpse; it was because of Gon that she held back. Knowing Gon's personality, he would've made a fuss if Sai had killed Ponzu in front of him. Killua closed his eyes and a small smile grew on his lips. He found it amusing that he wasn't the only one trying to change himself for the sake of Gon. He knew what Sai was going through; it also took him a lot of effort to not kill Ponzu as well.

 _I sure landed myself in a group of troublesome 'friends'…_ Sai thought, holding in her sigh.

"Hey, do you still have any sleeping gas left?" Gon asked, wincing as he sat up.

"I do…" Ponzu replied. "But why do you need it?"

"I'll trade you for Bourbon's plate! And the gas will put all the snakes to sleep and we can escape!"

"It'll take five minutes for all the snakes to fall asleep. But its five minutes! No one can hold their breath that long!"

 _I can…_ Killua thought.

 _I can…and much longer than five measly minutes…_ Sai thought.

"Nine minutes and forty-four seconds," Gon said proudly as he did his stretches.

"Then Gon, you can carry Leorio. I'll carry Kurapika and Sai will carry that woman," Killua said.

"Eh, you guys can hold your breath for that long as well?" Kurapika asked, surprised.

"I had practice from a couple of punishment games at home," Killua said shrugging.

Sai just dipped her head to answer his question. Her eyes now slightly glazed from remembering the times Mio had tried to drown her, and thus unintentionally improving her own ability to hold her breath for longer.

"Okay, on my signal. Release the gas," Gon said to Ponzu.

Gon, Killua and Sai all simultaneously took a large breath of air. Gon gave her the thumbs up and she turned the container to release the gas. A burst of air exploded from the canister, quickly filling up the space around them with a misty cloud of air. The three of them mentally started counting to five minutes. And when the 300 seconds was up, they picked up their assigned person and started to run to the entrance of the cave. Sai saw the bees that had come out of Ponzu's yellow hat, only to all fall unconscious due to the gas. As Sai carried her, she couldn't help but to realize her daintiness. Ponzu's body was light and soft, feminine, like a woman's. Her soft, teal-colored hair framed messily around her heart-shaped face, making her look innocent and cute. Sai wondered what it would be like to act like a girl, to _be_ a girl; would she look as charming as Ponzu as well? She shook her head, mentally hitting herself for thinking such stupid, useless thoughts. _There's no point in being a girl. It's always more useful…to be a guy._ Sai thought.

* * *

"The Fourth Phase of the exam as ended!"

All nine remaining applicants entered the airship to head towards the final exam phase. Some of them entered their private rooms to refresh themselves, and these people included: Hisoka, Gittarackur, Bodoro, Pokkle, and Hanzo. The rest of the rookies were seen heading to the dining lounge.

"Mango juice please!"

"Morinaga Choco Balls!"

"Green tea please."

"Ah, me too. Iced please."

"M-Mitsuya Cider Candy please…"

All of them turned their heads at Sai, surprised at her request for candy. Sai looked confused at everyone's sudden attention on her.

"W-What…? Even Killua wanted chocolate balls…" Sai said, stuttering.

"Ah, no…it's just surprising that someone who's normally serious…wanted candy," Kurapika explained, sweat dropping.

"Sai, you sure are cute sometimes!" Leorio said, laughing loudly.

"Ne Sai, is that cider candy good? Can I try one?" Gon asked cheerfully.

"Ah…sure…"

"You can't have any of my choco balls, Gon," Killua said teasingly.

"I wasn't going to ask you either Killua!" Gon said as he stuck out his tongue.

"Good, because Morinaga Choco Balls are the best," Killua said. This statement from Killua, however, irritated Sai.

"No…Mitsuya Cider Candy is the best," Sai retorted.

"What did you say…?" Killua started in a low voice.

Sai and Killua both stood up, getting into a fighting stance. Both their eyes were set ablaze with competition.

Kurapika sighed at their ridiculous quarrel, quietly sipping on his hot tea that he got on the counter where their order just arrived.

"Boys…they sure have the energy…" Leorio said, yawning and stretching himself on the couch.

"Gon! You try both and tell us which one is better!" Killua exclaimed.

Sai huffed in frustration. Mitsuya Cider Candy was no doubt the best, and it was so annoying to hear Killua jabber about his stupid chocolate nuts. The Mitsuya Cider Candy, despite the word "cider," this drink is not actually made with cider. These candies are based on the drink have a fizzy outer layer to replicate the soda drink itself. Two main flavors are: the White Mitsuya Cider Candy and the Mitsuya Cider Lemon Candy. The White Mitsuya was Sai's favorite of the two; it was much sweeter with a subtle bubblegum flavor. The lemon candies have a strong zesty flavor and are tarter overall - perfect for lovers of sour sweets (which Sai preferred at times).

Gon, now sweat dropping, got one of the choco balls and popped on in his mouth.

"Ah! Delicious!"

"Right?!" Killua said, looking smug at Sai.

Sai waited Gon to finish chewing and shoved a cider candy into his mouth.

"Mmm! This is delicious too! It's like drinking soda!"

Now it was Sai's turn to look smug at Killua, her hands on her hips.

"Which one is better, Gon?!" Killua said angrily.

"Hmm…I like both! So, both are the best!"

As Killua started strangling Gon to get the answer he wanted out of him, Sai sighed and walked to where Kurapika and Leorio were sitting.

"Ah…did you finish your little competition with Killua, Sai?" Leorio asked casually.

Sai didn't reply him and only sat silently eating her cider candy, looking glum.

"Ah I know! Why don't you and Killua try each other's candy!" Gon said, tearing himself away from Killua's chokehold and walked towards Sai.

"Eh…I don't want to try his candy. Mines better," Killua said.

Sai's expression was like the devil emerging from the deep fiery pits of hell.

"Now now…just try it!" Gon said, trying to appease the situation. He grabbed a handful of Killua's choco balls and stuffed it in Sai's mouth. He did the same with Sai's cider candies into Killua's mouth. As Sai unwillingly chewed, her eyes widened from surprise: it was good. The choco balls were peanuts covered in a crispy cookie layer and coated with chocolate. It gives the choco balls an extra crunch and a more interesting texture than a regular chocolate covered peanut. The chocolate itself has quite a milky, rich cocoa flavor and adds a sweetness that only enhances the richness of the chocolate flavor. It was almost addicting. But it's not like Sai's going to say that in front of Killua.

Sai looked at Killua, noticing that his expression was also one of surprised. Although, he quickly covered it up with a look of distaste.

"Well…I guess it's not bad," Killua finally said stubbornly.

"Right?" Gon said happily.

Before Sai could crack a grin, she abruptly started to have a fit of violent coughs. The chocolate in her mouth had enhanced the dehydrated state of her body. Seeing a nearby cup of liquid, she grabbed it and down the whole cup. With her throat feeling better after drinking the warm tea, she sat down on the couch next to Leorio to try to relax her body.

"Sai…that was my green tea…" Kurapika said, his expression was a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

"Ah sorry, Kurapika. Let me get you another one," Sai simply replied.

"Indirect-" Killua started, a grin forming on his face.

"KISSU!" Gon finished, puckering his lips in mockery.

Both Kurapika and Sai involuntarily flushed at their sudden outburst. Sai looked red and outraged, her mouth hanging agape. Kurapika just looked down at his now empty cup, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Now boys, don't take your jokes too far. It's their choice if they want to go that way…" Leorio said with an evil grin, clearly not helping the situation. "But Kurapika…I would have never thought you would go _that_ way…into little boys now are we-"

Sai heard Leorio grunt as he received a punch in the gut from Kurapika. Sai looked down at the floor, annoyed and tried to ignore their taunts. _So stupid…_ Sai thought. So, taking a deep breath, she decided to try to change the subject.

"Say Kurapika, how did you manage to get your target?" Sai asked calmly, as if the joke never happened.

Kurapika looked up at Sai in surprise and cleared his throat, as if trying to pull himself together. "Ah, it was by chance. A monkey trainer used his pet to try to steal my plate as I was walking through the forest. Of course, it didn't succeed. I captured his monkey and traded it to get his own plate. Turns out he was my target in the end."

Sai nodded in response. She definitely couldn't underestimate Kurapika either. With his knowledge and skills, he could prove to be dangerous for her if he ever was her enemy.

"I have an announcement for all the applicants!" The intercom went off, bringing everyone's attention to the speaker. "The chairman wishes to interview the remaining applicants. When your number is called, please report to the first reception room on the second floor."

"Interview?" Kurapika said as he pondered, putting a finger to his chin.

"Don't know…" Gon replied, looking confused. "As long as there's no written test…"

"Then we will start with #44, Hisoka-sama." At the mention of Hisoka's name, Sai felt Gon involuntarily tense up. She couldn't blame him, after all she knew what happened between the two. The five of them decided to stay in the lounge to wait for each other. Killua was the first of the bunch to be called for the interview and casually left with his hands in his pockets. Sai went to the counter to order more drinks, now realizing how parched she was. She also ordered more of her favorite Mitsuya Cider Candy, which had mysteriously all disappeared after her little competition with Killua…

Everyone was shocked when Killua came back within ten minutes. Leorio was the first to bombard him with questions.

"How was it? Was it the Final Phase? Was it a written test?" Leorio asked, all nervous.

"It was weird. The old geezer only asked me a few questions," Killua replied as he sat on the couch and popped a choco ball in his mouth.

"What kind of questions were they, Killua?" Gon asked, curious.

"Something like…why do you want to be a hunter…which of the applicants are you watching out for and who you don't want to fight."

"Eh? That's it?" Leorio said.

"It sounds like the chairman wants to plan something for the Final Phase. And our answers probably revolve around who we are going to fight in the end," Kurapika deduced.

"Next is #302, Sai-sama."

"Tch." Sai was upset because her green tea and cider candies had just arrived when her name was called. She put her hands in her jacket pockets and reluctantly walked towards the stairs to the second floor. She heard Gon and the rest of them wish her good luck and she raised a hand in acknowledgement. _This crafty old man…what is he planning…_

"Hello Sai-kun." The chairman was sitting on a cushion, in front of a low table. He had an ink stone, a calligraphy brush, and some papers on the table in front of him. "Relax, this isn't the Final Phase. Have a seat."

Sai sat down on the vacant cushion in front of the table. She was still on her guard as she doesn't know what to expect.

"First question, why do you want to be a hunter?"

Sai thought about if she should speak the truth. This is the chairman, who possibly will decide whether or not she will pass in the end. It's probably safer if she told the truth, even if it was a vague answer.

"I followed someone here, who is also taking the Hunter Exam. I don't really have a reason to be a hunter…just that it gives me a chance to leave behind my past."

"I see."

Sai was slightly relieved that the old man didn't press on to ask her more questions. She watched him write a few more things on his paper before he continued his questions.

"Then we'll move on to the next question. Which of the eight applicants do you have your eyes on?"

"301, 44, 405."

"Ooh. Then last question: Which of the eight applicants do you least want to fight?"

"…301 and 44. I will fight them if I have to, but I'd rather not."

"I see. Nice job. You're excused."

Sai silently walked down the stairs, thinking to herself. _It's a pretty good chance that we'll be fighting each other in the Final Phase…Should I prepare myself to fight against Illumi or Hisoka? If I ended up fighting Gon, Killua, Kurapika, or Leorio…I won't hold back…_ Sai thought.

Everyone welcomed her back from her short trip right before Gon was called in for his interview. She waited until all the others went in for their interview as she sipped on her tea and sucked on the cider candies. During this time, she confirmed with Kurapika that they both believed the that last phase was going to be combative. The question was how the chairman was going to make them fight. When Leorio came back as the last person to be interviewed, Gon stood up and excitedly announced his discovery.

"We should all take a bath together! Killua and I found a huge bath house in the middle of the airship!" Gon said excitedly.

Sai choked on her tea and started violently coughing. It took a few minutes until her coughing subsided, her mind panicking from thinking of millions excuses to say in order to omit herself from this situation. _I can't swim…no that wouldn't work, it's not even that deep…I'm allergic to naked bodies… what am I even thinking…what about I'm injured and I can't touch water…maybe that'll work…?_ Sai thought.

To her dismay, everyone seemed to be okay with it. They all stood up and started to head towards the bath house, only stopping in their tracks when they realized Sai was still sitting on the couch, expressionless.

"You guys go ahead, I need to talk with Sai for a moment," Leorio said, walking over to sit next to Sai.

"Okay!" Gon replied while Killua and Kurapika nodded before they walked on.

"Sai…" Leorio begun, his expression was serious.

"Leorio? Why aren't you going with them?" Sai asked. He had broken her out of her panicked thoughts and surprised her with his stern face.

"Actually…Sai…I…uh…" Leorio cheeks started to tinge pink as he stuttered. He looked really embarrassed and it was like he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He started awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I…you…uh…"

Sai nearly dropped her mouth open. _He couldn't be confessing, could he?! I'm suppose be a boy, and a boy who is at least seven years younger! Is he a pedophile…?_

"AH! JEEZ! Look, I know why you don't want to go to the bath house together!" Leorio blurted out, his face now red.

"…What?"

"You see…um…when you had your fever…I was checking your body-AS A DOCTOR…and I happened to find out…that you were…a girl…"

Sai's head started to spin. _He…found out? Someone found me out? What should I do? Should I kill him? Before he tells anyone else? Did he already tell anyone? Why didn't he say anything before? Is he going to blackmail me now? What are his motives…?_

"And I didn't want to tell anyone else because…you probably had your reason for hiding that fact…As a future doctor, I always keep my patient's information confidential."

"…So, you didn't tell anyone?"

"No one! But you've sure been living it hard, Sai...pretending to be a boy all this time."

Sai stayed quiet, still thinking of what to do. Could she trust Leorio? From what she gauged of his character so far, she believed he was an honest but sometimes, a stupid person. And weak. But she believed he was a good guy. Possibly a pervert, but a good guy nevertheless. And even if he does do something stupid and reveals her secret, she could always kill him.

"…Thank you, Leorio," Sai said, letting out a small sigh.

"Eh? For what?"

"For helping me when I had a fever. And for keeping my secret."

"Ah…haha. As long as you don't blame me…" Leorio said, scratching his head again as his face tinged pink again.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see, when I was using my stethoscope to check your breathing, I had my hand over your chest and felt your breast under your-" Before Leorio could finish his sentence, he had flown across the hallway and had his body embedded into the opposing wall. Sai had slapped Leorio in the face with a half of her strength, without Nen of course. _Never mind of what I thought of Leorio before…he's a bad, stupid, perverted, selfish, conceited old man!_

Sai, her face now red with embarrassment and rage, picked up Leorio's beat-up, half-conscious body and dragged him around like a ragdoll. She kind of regretted not hitting him harder, as her rage was still peaking.

"W-Where…we going…" Leorio barely managed to say through his large, swollen face.

"The bath house," Sai said through gritted teeth, still angry at him.

"EH?!"

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you guys don't mind me taking it slow this arc kinda slow. I always felt like the Hunter Exam happened way to quick… Are you guys excited for the next chapter?!** **I'm really sorry for not keeping up with the scheduled updates…T^T I'll still try to post once a week according to schedule…after this week ehehe… Too much grad work and exams. I'm trying hard for it not to affect my writing…But all the stress is piling up OTL. I hope this chapter was coherent! And I'll get to answering all the PMs, promise!**

 **Hope you still enjoyed the chapter! As always, please rate and review~**


	8. Chapter 8: Bath x And x Final Phase

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH! I only own Sai. Please don't steal my work or post it anywhere else. Thank you! ^_^

 **APPRECIATE ALL the follows/favorites/reviews!** **I know this week may be exam week or close to exams for most of you guys…SO GOOD LUCK! And come back to read this chapter when you're all finished! Hehe~**

 **Zwieg:** Big thanks for being a loyal reader and for his suggestion of having a bath scene! Hehe, I had a fun time writing. Thank you!

 **rodentia** : Thanks for the request of adding descriptive male nudity. xD

 **ElementalFoxGoddess** : Thank you for reviewing! :D And yes! Sai is still going to get stronger, like way stronger. But don't worry, her weakness in the beginning is necessary as she needs to go through some hardships in order to slowly become stronger :3

 **Pri-Chan 1410** : Aw thank you for your kind words! Can you guess who's going to be the next one to find out that she's a girl? Hehe~

 **Redangel14:** Hmm…is she going to confess her secret to everyone? :3 Read this chapter to find out! Thanks for reviewing!

 **HelpfulNudge:** Always can count on you for a good nudge! ^_^ Thank you!

 **Mhoordin** : Your English is really good! I'm so glad you like my story! It makes me feel really happy! :D Thank you for taking the time to write a review!

 **Hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Warning: Semi-nude males. *nosebleeds***

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Bath x And x Final Phase**

* * *

" _Well you see, when I was using my stethoscope to check your breathing, I had my hand over your chest and felt your breast under your-" Before Leorio could finish his sentence, he had flown across the hallway and had his body embedded into the opposing wall. Sai had slapped Leorio in the face with a half of her strength, without Nen of course. Never mind of what I thought of Leorio before…he's a bad, stupid, perverted, selfish, conceited old man! Sai thought._

 _Sai, her face now red with embarrassment and rage, picked up Leorio's beat-up, half-conscious body and dragged him around like a ragdoll. She kind of regretted not hitting him harder, as her rage was still peaking._

" _W-Where…we going…" Leorio barely managed to say through his large, swollen face._

" _The bath house," Sai said through gritted teeth, still angry at him._

" _EH?!"_

* * *

Sai climbed up the stairs to the third floor; it was where she had heard Gon say where the bath house was located. _A bath house…in an airship…what an interesting chairman…_ Sai thought, still tugging along Leorio's body up each step. He was mumbling something inaudible under his breath, but she heard something about not having respect from kids these days.

Immediately stepping onto the third floor, Sai spotted the entrance of the bath house. The entrance grand and looked somewhat like a large temple, adorned with a large, blue curtain across the entrance with a picture of steam coming out of a pool of water. Stunned by the intricate patterns of the architecture of the roofing and walls, Sai quickly glanced at a nearby window near the staircase, to get a reality check that she was still on the airship. Leorio, who was on the ground behind Sai, also looked dumbfounded upon seeing the majestic building in front of them.

Sai, who never had been in a bath house before, cautiously stepped through the entrance and was met with an open room with shoe lockers. Leorio continued to grumble about Sai's unruly behavior towards him as he took off his own shoes and placed them in the small lockers. Sai observed him and did the same, placing her shoes in the furthest bottom cubby. She went ahead and slipped on the guest slippers provided in a nearby hamper. The adult sized slippers were too big for Sai but she didn't mind it.

Two long curtains followed beyond the shoe lockers, one blue colored and one pink colored, designated for the men and women to enter the changing room. Sai almost automatically walked towards the pink curtain until she noticed Leorio disappear behind the blue one. Sai unconsciously held her breath as she parted the blue curtain to enter, almost afraid of what she would see inside.

"Gon! There you are, Sai and I were-" Leorio started, but quickly stopped. What he saw made him immobilized in his place and made him regret coming here.

Sai entered the changing room behind, puzzled at why he abruptly stopped blabbering. She saw his back, frozen stiff in front of her. Peeking over at Leorio's right shoulder, she saw Gon and the rest of the gang. Seeing the familiar faces, Sai stepped into the center of the changing room with a smirk, ready to tease Leorio in front of them of what he had done. But as she walked over, Sai dropped her smile as she saw their expressions.

Gon was frowning, teeth clenched and baring, his body positioned in a defensive stance. Kurapika also looked stern and serious, full of caution. Killua looked grave and different compared to before, even with his hands still in his pockets. All four of them had their gaze fixed on the left side of the room, and so she decided to turn her head.

It was Hisoka. Half-naked with a carelessly tied towel that rested low on his hips, barely covering his lower regions.

"Did you decide to join us, Sai-kun?" Hisoka said slowly, in his amused tone. "Although…I'm quite surprised to see you _here_."

 _What does he mean by that? Why wouldn't I be here? Was it weird for me to go to a public bath house? No…unless he meant…the changing room. But if everyone thinks I'm a boy, except for Leorio, I should be safe…unless…no, that can't be. There wasn't a chance he noticed that I was a girl…was there? There's no way…_ Sai thought as she shifted into a defensive position.

"Don't be so tense everyone. I just want to take a bath…just like everyone else," Hisoka said light-heartedly.

"Everyone…lets go. We'll wait outside until he finishes," Gon said in a serious tone that surprised everyone. As he walked to exit the changing room, a card flew past his head and imbedded itself in the wooden wall.

"Now…why don't we all take a bath together…and amuse me," Hisoka said in a low voice, deepening his grin. "Or…I'll kill you all."

Unwillingly, everyone began to slowly take off their garments and placed them in baskets that were aligned against the wall. Sai walked to a basket and stood in front of it for minutes, motionless. What should she do in this situation? She can't just strip in front of everybody.

She noticed that Leorio took off his tie and threw it in an unoccupied basket on Sai's right hand side before starting to unbutton his dress shirt. Kurapika came on Sai's left side, pulling his intricately red-hemmed, blue tabard over his head, revealing his white full-body training suit underneath.

When Sai heard the clinking of Leorio trying to undo his belt, Sai decided she had enough and swiftly walked to the bathroom in the next door, purposely not making eye contact with Hisoka as she passed him. She thanked the chairman inwardly when she saw individual stalls for each toilet. She entered the furthest stall away from the door and locked the door behind her, leaning against it as she took a long sigh. She needed to think of an excuse, fast. She hadn't expected that she would actually have to bathe with them.

"Running away isn't going to solve anything, Sai-kun~"

Sai froze. From the closeness of his voice, she knew Hisoka was just in front of her stall door. She couldn't help the involuntary shivers that his presence gave her.

"Do you…need my help?" Hisoka said teasingly. Sai could literally hear the mockery from his words.

"No…I'm fine," Sai answered quietly. _That's odd. Why is his attention on me…? In any case, when they all go in the bath area, I'll just leave quietly…_

"I wouldn't think about escaping. I'll be here…waiting until you go into the bathing area," Sai heard him say as he chuckled to himself.

 _This is bad. I've got to think of something fast…I can't expose my identity in front of all these people…!_ Sai thought as she bit the inners of her cheek, racking her brain for ideas to bring her out of this predicament. _And I especially don't want Hisoka to know that I'm a girl…_

Hisoka leaned against Sai's door, casually propping one leg against it. He smirked at Sai's silence and pulled out his playing cards, swiftly shuffling them in fluid movements, as if doing a performance. He elegantly fanned out the cards on one of his hands, all faced down. Then, as if he was trying to do a magic trick, he pulled out a single card: the queen of spades. Hisoka's face lit up in a surprise grin; it was as if his cards were trying to tell him something ominous about Sai.

"…What do you want from me?" Sai said, finally speaking from the other side.

"I already told you. Just a bath~"

Enraged and frustrated, Sai used both of her fists and pounded hard against the stall door with a loud bang. The immense pressure distorted the metal, molding her two fists into the door. On the other side, still preoccupied by his cards, Hisoka was unfazed by Sai's outbreak. His head was in between the two mounds, now protruding from the metal door that were made by Sai's fists.

"What exactly...do you know?" Sai muttered quietly. She knew she couldn't take Hisoka head on, it would be a death wish and she knows she has no other choice but to obey him. This nostalgic feeling of helplessness was driving her crazy.

With a flick of his wrist, all the cards in Hisoka's hands disappeared. He folded his arms across his chest instead. "I can help you transform. Like that binding on your chest…"

Sai felt her breath stuck at the top of her throat. _Tell me this isn't happening…Does he know?! How did he know about my chest bandages? For someone like Hisoka to know my weakness…death is going to walk on my doorstep anytime now…_

"Whether it's an ugly wound or…something that can't be seen by others…I can help you with that," Hisoka continued, speaking calmly. But his face was showing quite the opposite; it was anything but calm. In fact, he was ecstatic. His eyes were wild, pupils dilated, his mouth curved into a devilish grin. He had thought of a plan. A very amusing one. At the very last minute, Hisoka decided not to reveal that he knew of her real gender. He had planned to at the start, so she could be helpless since he had her weakness. But now he realized, it's more amusing to see her struggle to hide her true self from him. He would still help her…yes, but he'll continue to play dumb.

"…How can you help?" Sai asked, feeling uneasy of his offer. But she has no other choice.

"I have a magic towel here. I can make it change into the appearance of anything…For example, if you actually had a large scar on your chest, you just simply need to stick the towel on your chest and it would look like you had a normal torso."

"That's impossible." Sai found this too good to be true.

"It's true~ Why don't you try it before you say anything? But there are conditions."

"What conditions?"

"First, no one can touch it the towel except for yourself, or else the deception will be obvious. And second, I have to always be around you when you use it for it to be effective." Hisoka grinned at his lie in the second condition. It was mainly so he could attach his Nen on the towel, being able to freely to remove it from Sai anytime he wishes. Hisoka quietly chuckled to himself at the thought.

"…Throw it over," Sai said, sighing. _There's no harm in trying it…right? It's not like there's any better options…_

Hisoka took a small towel from the towel rack and hovered his right hand over its length. Immediately, the texture of the towel took on the appearance of pale skin. Hisoka attached his Nen on the towel and threw it over the stall door. Sai caught the towel in midair and was surprised at how the color of the towel matched exactly her light skin tone. What was even more surprising was that it even _felt_ like actual skin. The reverse side of the towel looked and felt like an ordinary towel. _What kind of ability is this…?_ Sai thought. Although Sai would have hated to admit it, but whatever Hisoka did to the towel was impressive.

She ran her fingers over the towel again and involuntarily shuddered, it was _that_ similar to real skin. Now partially believing that his plan could possibly work, Sai started to take off her jacket and pulled her white shirt off over her head. She then carefully started to unwind the bandages that bound her chest. She looked down at the two small, underdeveloped breasts, not quite sure why they were necessary other than being a burden. Then again, being a girl was a burden. Sai took a deep sigh.

"How…do I stick it on?" Sai asked, holding the transformed towel in front of her. The small towel was just the right size to cover over her breasts. Strangely enough, Sai noticed a small mole on the textured side of the towel, the same to the one that was supposed to be under her actual, left breast. _How did Hisoka know I had a mole there…?_ Sai wondered.

"It'll stick…wherever you place it. Like a sticker."

Sai was quite skeptical to believe what Hisoka told her but she tried anyways, placing the towel over her chest. As soon as the towel touched her skin, it clung on like a magnet. Sai widened her eyes as the edges of the towel smoothened itself against her skin seamlessly. She blinked once. And again. She couldn't see any traces of the towel that was on her chest, but she could feel it. The towel concealed all traces of itself, including the slight protrude of her breasts. All she could see was herself…with a flat chest of a boy's.

Sai flung open her stall door and met with Hisoka right outside, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe it; her breasts were gone. For now, at least.

"I'm…a boy," Sai said slowly, still in shock.

Hisoka chuckled at her statement, making Sai realize what she just said.

"I-I mean, I look like a normal boy now…No more scar…" Sai said, shamelessly trying to cover up her slip-up. She walked towards the full-length mirror next to the sink, examining her new appearance. She was half naked, her pants were still on. But her chest…it was exactly how it should have looked if she didn't have breasts.

And she looked pretty attractive as a boy.

Hisoka had perfectly captured her exact muscle features, to the dot. Sai's body type was never robust or bulky, even when she tried to make so. She had trained and trained but her body kept her lean and wiry appearance. Her muscles were defined and toned, but she could never gain enough muscle to break her slender build. She gave up trying to bulk up, even though she still hated her current _weak_ looking appearance. Now, even her new chest took on a trim appearance, from her slightly chiseled pecs to the faint shadow outlining her abs. _Well…I guess you can't have everything._ Sai thought. _At least I won't have to worry about exposing myself…_

"Sai-kun~ Pants aren't allowed in the bathing area," Hisoka playfully reminded her.

 _OH, MY GOD. I FORGOT… BOYS HAVE THAT THING…_ Sai thought as she clutched her head in frustration. She wanted to scream. _But Hisoka...maybe he could make me a…_

"C-Can you-" Sai stuttered, face red.

"It's too bad…I can't make you a male reproductive organ~" Hisoka's eyes shone in amusement, the same joker grin never leaving his face.

This was the last of Sai's patience; this was too troublesome. She huffed in frustration and grabbed a larger towel from the rack, to only return to her original bathroom stall and locked the door behind her. She took off her pants and her white, cotton underwear. She wrapped the large towel around her waist two times and tied a strong knot to hold it on her hips. It was like she was wearing a white skirt, it's length falling above her knees. It still left her feeling exposed but it was better than walking around with a missing penis. Grabbing her clothes, she marched past Hisoka and headed back towards the changing room.

The changing room was empty when Sai arrived but she could hear talking in the bathing area. She threw her clothes in an empty basket and opened the sliding door to enter the bathing area. Sai was immediately greeted with a rush of warm, white steam at her face. Waving the mist away, she noticed that the bathing area was tiled and near the entrance area was a supply of small stools and buckets. There were several washing stations in the middle of the room, each complete with two faucets, one for hot water and one for cold water, and a shower head. It was near the end of the room where the baths were located. She continued to walk barefoot forward, gradually starting to see the familiar shadows of her comrades through the fog.

"Sai! You're here!" She heard Gon greet her from the baths, his voice echoing throughout the room.

As the fog cleared up, Sai realized that all of them were sitting in the bath area, looking at her. At a closer glance, she noticed that all of them were _completely_ naked. She quickly adverted her eyes to the washing station and grabbed the showerhead to briskly wash herself before entering the bath herself. Which she has _no_ idea how she could, to be in the water with a pool full of naked men.

She heard Hisoka enter the room and started washing himself in a few washing stations away from her. She lathered herself with the soap and quickly scrubbed the week old grim that stuck on her body since the third phase, being very careful about not moving the towel that was tied around her hips. To her relief, Hisoka's magical towel stayed firmly on her chest. She gave herself a final rinse and hurriedly approached the bath, trying to stay away from Hisoka.

But she only found herself in a crossfire of a very odd argument.

"No, mines bigger!" Killua exclaimed, standing up. Killua was facing the other direction, to Sai's relief, and so at the worse, she saw his small, firm buttocks. She saw him eyeing Gon's lower region. _They can't possibly be comparing…oh my god-_

"No, mines are!" Gon retorted, standing up as well. Like Killua, he was facing away from Sai, so she had another glimpse of another butt. _Please don't turn around…please don't turn around…please for heaven's sake…_ Sai chanted in her mind.

"Ne, Sai! Which one of ours is bigger?" Gon asked, turning around.

 _Why_ Gon.

Sai darted her eyes immediately to the ceiling, not answering him. Leorio, still shocked and confused about Sai's new chest, took this chance to try to help her from the situation. Awkwardly.

"Ah…Gon…uh…m-mines bigger than all of yours! Haha…" Leorio said, laughing feebly. This earned a facepalm from Kurapika. Sai wanted to dropkick Leorio for his pathetic attempt.

"Leorio…I think I lost the little respect I had for you," Kurapika said, sighing at his sudden immature outbreak.

"What did you say?! You want to fight, you little blondie snob tribe?!" Leorio said standing up, unexpectedly getting worked up.

"I would be glad to! And take that back!" Kurapika said, offended and stood up in a fighting position.

"Ossan. Mines still bigger than yours," Killua said bluntly, observing at Leorio's lower region.

"Shut up, Killua. It's obvious that mine's bigger. I'm older than you all," Leorio snapped.

"Kurapika, tell us which one of ours is bigger-" Gon started to ask.

"I don't want to participate in something that has no meaning," Kurapika said curtly, as he sat back down in the water and closed his eyes. Hearing this from Kurapika, Sai decided that he had the most rationality out of these idiots and decided to sit next to him in the bath, being careful not to carelessly wander her eyes around. But before she could step into the bath, she was stopped by Gon.

"Sai, you know that towels aren't allowed in the bath, right? You have to be completely naked," Gon said, reminding her innocently.

"I…uh…there's a reason I have to…keep the towel on…" Sai said slowly. Her head was racking through hundreds of excuses per second. She must keep that towel on her hips.

"What is it, Sai?" Kurapika asked, looking at her with curiosity. All their heads turned to her with their upmost attention.

"I…uh…" Sai was still scrambling for excuses. _I can't think of anything to say! Should I say I have another scar? No no…that's stupid…No one's going to believe that. Should I say there's something wrong with me? What's wrong with me though? That I don't have…that thing?! I can't just tell everyone that I'm a eunuch!_

"Sai?" Gon said, his amber eyes wide with inquiry.

"…Mines really small," Sai blurted out, without thinking.

"What's small?" Kurapika asked, slightly tilting his head in confusion.

"Down…there…" Sai replied quietly, turning beet red. She lowered her head and let her bangs cover her eyes, trying to hide from her embarrassment. She didn't expect herself to say something like this. She wanted to kill herself.

Silence filled the room. Gon, Killua, and Kurapika all had their eyes wide and staring at Sai, more so all too stunned to hear Sai to reveal her personal insecurity, rather than at the actual issue itself. Leorio, on the other hand, was too embarrassed for Sai to say anything. So, he looked away, cheeks tinged pink. She could clearly hear Hisoka's soft chortling echo throughout the entire room.

"Ah…that's okay, Sai," Kurapika said attempting a small laugh, trying to lessen the embarrassment for Sai. "Everyone has their own problems."

"That's right, Sai," Leorio said, joining Kurapika in trying to comfort her. "Don't worry. Having a small one…uh…doesn't make you any less of a…man."

Refusing to listen to any more of this, Sai quickly stepped into the bath, with her towel on, and slipped into the water, completely submerging herself to drown out any more embarrassing remarks.

"Sucks for Sai." She heard Killua's muffled voice say.

"Shh! Killua!" Gon said, nudging him to stop talking.

Sai could still hear the muffled conversation through the water. She let herself sink to the bottom and sat there. Her eyes were closed, enjoying the gentle movements of the water dancing around her. It was like another world of tranquility; everything seemed detached and unbothered by the world above.

Sai slowly opened her eyes underwater, now calm. Immediately, she saw the naked bodies in the bath around her, neck down. Although she wanted to look away, mainly because of embarrassment, but there was an odd curiosity towards these toned bodies that Sai couldn't explain. And so, she stared. The one with the broadest chest was sitting across from her; she guessed it was Leorio. And she must admit, even though he was physically weaker than her, his body was evidence that he trained hard to get to this state. Leorio was built. He was tall and handsomely muscled, but not quite as ostentatious. He had a rugged, massive, natural level of muscle. Sai was jealous.

She continued to sit at the bottom of the bath, propping her head on her knees, now intently observing the beautifully muscled bodies in the water around her, letting her inquisitiveness take the better of her. To her right was Kurapika. He sat in the bath with the most reserve; his legs aligned together, knees almost touching. With his usual conservative, attire, it was hard to imagine what his body would be like. But Kurapika's body was lithe and his muscles marked by effortless grace. His lean muscles were flexible and supple and strong, as if he had the streamlined muscles of a dancer. His body type was like Sai's, except he had broader shoulders and a longer torso. It was a princely body, slender and elegant. _Am I a pervert? Being attracted to these muscular bodies…_ Sai thought.

She looked over to her left and knew immediately they were Gon and Killua's physique. Being able to examine up close, she could see the exact differences of their bodies. Gon's golden, sun-kissed skin had thin, white scars, almost invisible, littered sporadically all over his body. Killua, on the other hand, had pale skin and had slightly more prominent muscles. They both had defined arms and abdominals, looking irregularly well-built for kids. But Sai couldn't stop staring at Killua's pectoral muscles; they were shaped in a clean, sharp-lined appearance, emphasizing the hard lines of muscle and tendon, lining all the way down to his tight, washboard abdominals. _Killua probably only has around 5% fat on his body…and that balanced musculature…it's beautiful…it's art!_ Sai thought, staring fondly. If she wasn't underwater, she probably would have been drooling.

Suddenly, Sai noticed all of them opening their legs to stand up, giving her a view of all their lower regions. Sai's eyes almost bulged out of her eye sockets, her face burning from seeing the obscene image in front of her. From the shock, Sai accidently constricted her lungs, making her involuntarily gulp mouthfuls of water. She immediately stood up out of the water, clutching the bath rails as she started violently coughing and hacking to get the water out of her windpipe. Sai's face was in a deep shade of red; her face felt like it was burning.

 _Leorio's…definitely the biggest…_ Sai thought, her eyes wide in horror.

When she had finished coughing and finally pushed back the image that had burned itself forever in her mind, she tried to figure out what had disturbed them so. A red headed man stood at the edge of the bath, smirking at everyone's reactions. He wasn't even discreet on staring at everyone's private areas, darting his eyes around as if comparing them, licking his lips with a sinister grin. _So that's why everyone's on edge…_ Sai thought, submerging her body, neck down, into the water as if trying to hide from him. _A pervert._

"Are you okay, Sai-kun~?" the magician said. Sai looked up at him in shock; she had hardly recognized him if it weren't for him talking. It was Hisoka. Without makeup. Nearly naked. Grinning at her. His body, she hated to admit it, was perfection. He had a broad chest, even bigger than Leorio's. It was beautifully carved, precisely clean, hard appearance as if carved intricately out of stone with a sharp metal chisel. His body defined the shape of each muscle as it contracted in harmony with each other as he moved. His skin was pale and nearly translucent, having a smooth, glistening look that further emphasizes the lines of his muscles and ligaments. Just by his body alone, his sinew overwhelmed Sai.

Hisoka gracefully slipped into the water in one smooth movement, placing his arms at the edges of the bath. Leorio, who sat closest to him, could be seen trying inch away from him.

"Relax and sit everyone. Continue your conversations," Hisoka said closing his eyes in a smile, as if relaxing. And everyone did, regarding his words as a command.

"Uh…S-Say Gon, I really have to thank you for getting Ponzu's plate for me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it this far…" Leorio said, trying to break the tension in the air. Gon beamed at him and gave him a thumb up. Kurapika smiled at him as well, feeling the same as Leorio.

"Sai and Killua helped me a lot too," Gon admitted sheepishly. "Ne Sai, do you work out a lot?" Sai was surprised at his sudden question towards her.

"Not…particularly."

"But you're strong!"

"Hah…?" Sai replied, befuddled by his statement.

Killua observed Sai as Gon talked to her, still haven't spoken for a while. He looked at her analyzing her body attentively. Sai wasn't at all muscular or beefy, but looked rather thin and fragile. No muscle was particularly prominent on her body, just toned and slim. But Killua knew, somehow Sai could pack a powerful punch if she wanted to.

At least now, one of the mysteries was solved for him: Sai was a boy. Any previous doubts about that were completely vanished. _Although he's still kind of acts kind of girly though…_ Killua thought.

Hisoka took this chance as Sai was taken off guard to slightly curl his index finger, where his Bungee Gum was attached. Corresponding to that movement, the Texture Surprise towel that was on Sai's chest moved, revealing an ever so slight exposure of her cleavage.

"Ah-" Sai cut off her own gasp of surprise and within that millisecond, she crossed her arms over her chest to prevent it from moving further and bent over to hide herself. _The towel moved! Did I expose myself? What happened? Wasn't it stuck on pretty strongly before?! Did anybody see? Why did it move after Hisoka came in the bath? Hisoka…?!_ Sai thought as she darted her eyes at him. It was him. Hisoka didn't even hide the dark glint of amusement in his eyes. _I knew it was too good to trust him…what is he planning? Is he trying to expose me?!_

"Are you okay, Sai?" Kurapika asked her with alarm. The others stared at her as well, slightly concerned, since it was a strange reaction coming from Sai.

"I-I'm fine…" Sai replied, her head still down. _How do I get out of this kind of situation now?! Will my towel drop if I make a run for it?_

To her horror, she felt the towel that was once secured on her chest start to be pulled off. Hisoka was tugging harder on the towel. She fought with all her might to pull back on the towel, but the strength was too incredible. Whatever Hisoka was doing, he had the upper hand. At this time, Kurapika had slowly walked next to where Sai was sitting, where she was hunched over in the bath, and sat next to her. He was half concerned for her odd behavior and half curious if he could figure out more truths about her. He confirmed that Sai was a boy, after seeing her chest, but something tells him that it wasn't that simple.

As Sai felt her loose her grip on the towel, she quickly up and hugged the nearest thing that could help hide her now exposed chest. In a split second, a pair of bodies slammed against the floor. Sai had hugged Kurapika's open, naked chest with so much force that it knocked him over. At first, she didn't notice that Kurapika just laid there, unmoving, as she was still busy fumbling with adjusting the towel back on her chest. After deeming that the towel won't stick on anymore, she held it against her chest with one arm. Before she could panic and think of how to bolt out of here, she finally realized her sitting position.

Sai's bare back was now facing the rest of them, and she was sitting on something soft, her legs sprawled beneath her. She was unknowingly sitting on Kurapika's thighs, while he was still unconscious. She nearly gasped as she saw how close his exposed, lower region was relative to her body.

Sai, now turning beet red, tried to concentrate on the more important matter at hand: his injury. Embarrassingly, Sai leaned forward and pressed her one of her hand onto the side of his face, attempting to pat him awake. To her relief, Sai saw him stir, wincing as he slowly opened his eyes.

Kurapika cracked his eyes open, just slightly. He winced as he felt the immense pain where the back his head had collided against the tile stone floor. There was some pressure where his thighs were, and he looked down for the cause of the source. It was a young, petite girl. Her white, shoulder length hair was damp from the bath, draping over her neck and collarbone as she peered over him. Some strands of hair were even sticking on the sides of her face. Her face was contorted with worry, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. Her small lips were a pink-tinged, slightly wet from the bath water and was parted half open from surprise. She was half naked, clutching a small towel over her chest. He could see the slight curvature of her breasts peeking out from the sides of the towel. She had a nice, cool hand against his face, as if gently caressing him. The light behind her shone brightly, making her seem almost ethereal. He closed his eyes, tired from having them open for so long. The corners of his mouth slightly curled upwards; his smile was so small that Sai didn't even notice it. _Did I die…? Although…heaven doesn't seem so bad…_ He thought before slipping back into the darkness.

"Sai! Notify the infirmary!" Leorio exclaimed, giving her a look as if telling her to leave. "I'll bring Kurapika there."

Sai nodded to him, taking care that she doesn't reveal herself as she walked out of the bathing area. She quickly reached for her clothes in the basket and roughly pulled on her black pair of pants. She tossed the wet towel that was still tied on her hips into the dirty laundry basket. She pulled on the rest of her clothes and dashed out of the bathhouse, now breaking into a run to the infirmary. _Oh god…that was close. …I hope I didn't reveal anything…I'll need to stay away…far away…from Hisoka…don't know what he's planning…_

 **"We will now be arriving at the final phase in one hour. Please get ready for landing."**

The intercom rang loudly in her ears as she ran, unaffecting the many thoughts were in her head. _Okay…I must act manlier…I need to prove myself to be a man…Why does Hisoka keep making trouble for me…what does he want? Is Kurapika going to be okay…? I think I collided with him way too hard…I'll need to apologize later…I hope he didn't suspect anything…_ Sai thought as she sighed. Things were getting to be messier than she wanted it to be. She'll have to clear it up when she meets everyone again. But first, there's something more important she had to take care of first: the Final Phase of the exam.

* * *

Kurapika had woke up twenty minutes after he was brought to the infirmary. He didn't have a concussion, to Sai's relief, or any apparent memory loss. But the first thing he did was to stare at Sai for an unnaturally prolonged period of time. When he realized how blatantly rude his stare was, he quickly looked down to cover his pink-tinged cheeks with his blonde hair. _It was just a dream…Sai's not a girl…_ Kurapika thought, embarrassed of how he confused his dream with reality.

Once Kurapika was bandaged up, he was deemed okay and ready to leave the airship to the exam. The doctor had encouraged him to continue to rest for the remainder of the day, but Kurapika was against it. He was going to pass the exam today.

"Are you sure you're okay…Kurapika?" Sai asked again for the millionth time, her head slightly lowered from guilt. Other than the bandage that was wrapped around his head, he looked back to normal. Although Sai was sure the back of his head was visibly larger than normal. They had descended the airship and now stood in the lobby of a grand hotel, all assembled for the final part of the exam. The glossy marble floors were sparkling with luxury, reflecting the crystal chandeliers that hung above their heads. Sai stood next to Kurapika as the chairman explained the details of the Final Phase.

"I'm fine, Sai," Kurapika replied with a smile. Every time Kurapika would look at Sai, he couldn't help but to think of his dream. Sai's pale, moist skin…the way her white hair stuck to her face from the water…the soft caress of her hand…the small, supple curvature of her breasts behind her towel…Kurapika quickly shook his head from the thoughts, his face slightly burning up. He decided it was because being in the bath for too long; he was probably hallucinating. _Sai's definitely a boy…I clearly saw his chest! Get a hold of yourself…this is an exam!_ Kurapika thought.

"The groups are the following," Netero said as he lifted the white cloth from the board. It revealed a tournament bracket, leading up to a single person at the top most. The narrowest bracket was on the left, and it showed 294 and 405. It was Hanzo versus Sai first. Then loser then would fight against Gon. Then Pokkle. Then Killua. Continuing across the pyramid.

"The rules of the last round is very simple: one victory and you pass the exam. In other words, there is only person who would fail. And consequently, each person has at least two chances to win. Any questions?"

"I don't like it. Why isn't the pyramid well balanced?" Killua inquired, clearly unhappy about the layout.

"These groups were chose based on the performance of your previous rounds," Netero explained, combing through his beard absentmindedly.

"Tell us how you calculated the points," Killua said.

"NO!" the chairman yelled, earning surprised looks from everyone's faces. "The ways we calculated points lies in absolute secret. However, I can tell you some explanations of our criteria." Netero raised three fingers as he continued to explain. "Physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression."

Killua narrowed his eyes at the chart. _Based on my performance, the results should have placed me better in the pyramid…! Is it my personality and placed me lower than Sai and Gon?_ Killua thought bitterly, his pride hurt.

Sai almost scoffed at the absurdity of the exam. _This is the last phase? What a disappointment…the chairman made this way too easy… No wonder I kept sensing people following us throughout the exam. It's a good thing I decided not to kill them. And Hanzo apparently scored the highest? Being his opponent will be interesting…_

"One last thing, weapons are allowed! And pushing your opponent to surrender will give you the win. But, if you kill your adversary, you will be disqualified. And if that happens, the exam will end. That's all."

"Let's begin the final round." The referee in black swung his hands together to signal the start of the match. "First match…Hanzo versus Sai!"

Hanzo silently walked forward into the center of the room, his gaze serious and sharp on the approaching white-haired boy. _I don't think I can take him lightly…even though he's just a kid…_ he thought, listening to his instincts. He immediately revealed his katars, holding its H-shaped, horizontal hand grip to have the blade to sit above his knuckles.

Sai walked forward with her hands in her jacket. She hid her hands purposely as they were trembling in excitement. She also had bitten her lower lip to prevent a devilish grin from forming. It had been a while since she was able to fight someone, and although she knew she couldn't go all out in defeating Hanzo because it would risk killing him, she was still anticipating the thrill of battle. Of blood.

During the first blows, Sai calmly concentrated on her defense and let her muscles settle into the rhythm of dodging to Hanzo's attacks. His attacks were sharp and accurate, his daggers missing Sai by millimeters. This started to excite her, of having an opponent that was nearly at the same attack level, possessing nearly the same speed.

After several minutes of attempting to evade Hanzo's attacks, Sai lost to her bloodlust and began to batter at him with her fists and legs as if to pound him into the ground. Hanzo had expected a quick defeat and easy humiliation, not an equal opponent, and his simmering frustration started to boil.

Hanzo began to fight near his maximum ability, using his utmost speed and power to dodge and counterattack. Sai wouldn't be content with pretend wounds and victory; she was out for blood.

The crowd, especially Leorio, who had chattered and cheered for her, became completely silent, and the air rang with Hanzo's speedy footsteps and the hoarse rasp of both fighter's breaths.

Hanzo thought desperately for a way out of the mess. He couldn't try to kill Sai, but at this rate, he couldn't see himself wining. Their skills were on par.

Hanzo's weapon finally slipped past Sai's defenses and slashed toward her throat. Sai dodged, laughing as if having a marvelous time. Sai praised darkly with a grin, "Not bad baldy..."

When Hanzo slashed backhanded in a return blow in annoyance, Sai thrust her hands in front of her and caught it between her palms before it cut her in half. Her low chuckle dripped with malevolence.

Hanzo blinked in surprise as if coming out of a daze but continued to go for blood. He didn't know how this would end. _Why does he look…a bit insane?_ Hanzo thought, continuing to rain attacks down.

Sai laughed and spouted praise for almost a minute before the ninja's attack began to ease in its brutality. Sai caught his weapons high in the air, and they stood chest to chest, face to face.

Hanzo sharply whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"

"It's no fun…if we don't spill blood..." she whispered.

The ninja stared at Sai who stood with crazed eyes, her tongue quickly lapping over her curved lips. "You..." He twisted away from her hold, bringing a distance between them. "Who are you..."

Sai's conscious mind was replaced with the only thing that let her continue fighting: her bloodlust. She had lost all sense of morality. Her body yearned for the crimson, viscous substance. And the feeling of physically pushing herself to her limits.

In her subconscious state, she suddenly stood still, concentrating all her aura into her right hand. The aura created a high-pitched dissonance, somewhat akin to the sound of metal being ground. Even in this state, something told her that continuing her battle with Hanzo would only waste time, and she would have to risk herself in order to defeat him.

"Hoho…the combination of Ten, Zetsu, Ren and Gyo," the chairman said. "This makes that one body part exceptionally powerful, but leaves the rest of the body completely unprotected. I'm impressed he could learn an advanced technique during the fight."

Hisoka, who was observing the fight, now had an orgasmic expression on his face, his eyes lit up and dancing with anticipation. Sai had learned how to use Ko during her fight, all by herself. The potential of Sai seemed unpredictable and limitless. He tightly gripped his mouth to cover his ragged breathing, trying to calm himself. He almost couldn't…nearly couldn't…wait for the right time…for Sai's true power to be discovered.

Controlling all the aura in one body part was exceptionally difficult, especially for Sai's first time. She had no idea that she as acting on high difficulty Nen technique; she only wanted to be stronger at this moment. Her speed had significantly decreased to compensate for her concentration. Hanzo snapped out of his puzzlement at Sai's sudden stillness and launched himself at her for another attack.

This time, his blade had slashed through her skin on her left thigh. Then another deep gash formed at her right shoulder. Then another across her forehead. With Sai now unable to dodge his attacks, Hanzo assumed that Sai had gotten tired due to her young age and he appeared behind her for a hand chop on her neck to knock her unconscious.

He couldn't be more wrong. At this exact time, she whipped around as if anticipating his attack and swung her aura-filled right fist into him.

Blood splattered over her face, covering her vision with field of warm crimson. The splash of the red liquid had made her come to, her bloodthirstiness dissipating. She blinked a few times, puzzled at what happened when she saw Hanzo's kneeling body with a limp, bleeding arm. _What is this…is this my power?_ Sai thought, shocked and stared at her bloody her fist.

 _I guess it was a good thing I didn't teach him the advanced techniques._ Illumi thought as he observed the fight. _At first I thought it would be too troublesome…but I didn't expect him to learn it by himself._ _Although, this may work out for the better…_

"Are…are you looking down on me?!" The ninja was back on his feet, holding his crushed right arm gingerly against his body. Blood was streaming down his arm and puddled beneath it. He bared his teeth in seething anger. "You could've made a lethal blow! Why did you hold back?!"

 _Ah…he noticed. Is he stupid?_ Sai thought, unamused.

"Don't forget…we're still in the exam…" Sai replied coldly. Slowly but surely, she started to feel the exhaustion seeping into her bones from using that immense power. "Why would I disqualify myself?"

"It's over for 294, isn't it," the chairman muttered, expressionless. "For someone who fights defensively, witnessing that amount of power would be a blow to anyone's will to fight."

"Indeed…" Beans replied, looking concerned for both applicants.

Hanzo fell on his knees and supported himself with good arm. _I lost…? To a kid? What's going on…Is he a monster?! Exactly ow much power does he have?!_

"So…want to continue?" Sai asked darkly, not hiding her smirk. _To think I had that much power…_ The blood that had splattered all over her face made her look even more sinister and intense.

"I…lost," the ninja said, letting his head hang down.

"Winner…Sai!" the referee announced.

She noticed a group of people dressed in white from the infirmary approach Hanzo's broken arm, which he wordlessly pushed away. She noticed her own breathing, which became quick and rough. Her vision had started to blur and she felt a sickening wave of dizziness in her head, an array of colors swimming in her field of vision. That was the last of her consciousness before she fell forward on the cold floor.

"Sai!" Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika all exclaimed in surprised when they saw her fallen body. It didn't seem like she took significant damage.

"It's fine," Netero said calmly, stroking his beard again. "He probably passed out from exhaustion from using that much power." He looked at Sai's motionless body on the floor and set a small smile on his face. _It's frightening to think what he could do after he properly learns Nen, now that he's an official hunter. He'll probably be out for a few days, after all, he did basically use all of his Nen…that idiot…this is why you need a proper teacher…_

A team of people from the infirmary brought out a stretcher and laid Sai's body on top, and took her away.

 _I raised a wild lion cub…things would've ended differently if Sai didn't know Nen._ Illumi thought. _It's a good thing I can still control and use him…or else…_ Illumi cracked his knuckles.

Hisoka immediately threw him a threatening look and Illumi immediately held back his killing intent. _Hai hai…I got it…_ Illumi thought as he sighed. _I need to learn to better suppress my emotions…_

"Scary…Sai can sure be scary…" Leorio said shakily, now admitting his true feelings after he realized Sai was going to be okay. "I honestly don't think I can defeat him if I was his opponent…"

"I agree," Kurapika said, still feeling the shocking results of the match. It was a outcome most people didn't expect. And to think that he mistaken Sai as a fragile girl before. Kurapika shook his head smiling, he had the utmost respect for Sai's abilities. "I'm glad all of us didn't have to face him."

"Amazing…" Gon said, his mouth still open from awe. "Sai's really amazing! Ne Kurapika, what was his ability to make his punch so strong?"

"I'm…not sure, but I would like to know too. Maybe we can ask him when he wakes up?"

"Okay!"

 _Impossible…Sai's completely on another level. How was he able to get that much power? Exactly what is his ability? I don't understand…!_ Killua thought, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"We'll begin the next match in thirty minutes. The next match will be 44 vs 404," Netero stated before turning around and walking toward the infirmary. Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua all followed him, seeing Sai being placed on an infirmary bed and getting hooked to an IV pole.

"Oi Gon, after Kurapika's fight with Hisoka, the ninja would your opponent next. Are you going to be okay?" Leorio asked.

"Mm! He looks strong but we should be equal in strength and speed!" Gon replied optimistically.

"But…he was fighting Sai pretty evenly in the beginning…"

"It's going to be fine! By the way, when I see Sai fight…he kind of reminds me of Hisoka," Gon said, scratching the back of his head. "Ehehe, maybe it's just me."

"No, you're right," Killua said in a low voice.

"Killua?"

"It's because…we're the same kind."

Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika all looked at him in confusion, not quite sure of what he meant by that.

Killua sat down against a wall in the room, resting his elbow on his propped leg as he thought about the match that just ended. _It seemed like Sai was trying something for the first time during his fight…that's what triggered his power. It's not normal…I'm not even sure I could defeat that bald ninja…Sai was definitely oozing killing intent during his fight, and I understand that feeling…you eventually reach that point when you've undergone enough training and near death experiences…whether you like it or not. We're pretty similar then huh…Although I still think I would have stood a good chance against him, after all…he's still a kid like me. A frail, girly looking kid at that._

 _Damn it…_ Killua thought as he started to feel more and more impatient. _I'll make Sai explain himself afterwards!_

"I-Illumi…" Sai muttered as she furrowed her brows, talking in her sleep.

"Illumi? Who's that?" Leorio said, confused.

"Don't know…" Gon replied, looking concerned for Sai.

Killua, on the other hand, had his face drained of any color. Even at the mention of his brother's name would send chills to his body and break out in cold sweat. His eyes were wide with surprise and terror. _Aniki…how…how does Sai know his name…did he meet him before?! How does he know him? What's his relation with him?!_

Killua had ran up to Sai's sleeping form, and grabbed both of her shoulders, violently shaking her to wake her up. He needed answers. He demanded the answers. Now. He felt hands trying to pry him away from her, but he shook them off, not leaving his hands from Sai.

"What do you know?!" He yelled at her. Sai's head only rolled forward in response. Killua was involuntarily shaking. _Why was there so many mysteries surrounding Sai?_ _What's going on?!_

* * *

 **A/N : Uh oh, guess Sai has a lot of explaining to do when she wakes up. xD **

**Please let me know if you liked this chapter! And if you have more ideas, let me know too! :3 Hoped you enjoyed reading!**

 **Sneak peek for next chapter:** **Chapter 9:** **Female Disguise** **x And x Zoldyck's Estate.**

 **As always, please rate and review! ^_^ Like honestly, they give me motivation to write. :D**


	9. Chapter 9: Disguise x And x Zoldyck

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HXH, only Sai. Please don't steal my work or post it anywhere else. Thank you! ^_^

 **I love you all for the follows/favorites/reviews!**

 **Pri-Chan 1410** : Hehe, thanks for reviewing! ^_^ Sai's going through an awful lot xD Her secret's going to be unraveled really soon, slowly~

 **Ghoul99:** Aw thank you! Appreciate you for reviewing :3

 **Bless You:** Hehe yasss :D Thanks for reviewing!

 **sarahmchugs:** Oh my god, thank you for noticing about the fight scene! That scene probably took the longest when I was writing this chapter! T_T Thanks so much for reviewing!

By the way, I had to shorten the title because it wouldn't fit...but still enjoy! ^_^"

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Female Disguise x And x Zoldyck's Estate**

* * *

" _I-Illumi…" Sai muttered as she furrowed her brows, talking in her sleep._

" _Illumi? Who's that?" Leorio said, confused._

" _Don't know…" Gon replied, looking concerned for Sai._

 _Killua, on the other hand, had his face drained of any color. Even at the mention of his brother's name would send chills to his body and break out in cold sweat. His eyes were wide with surprise and terror. Aniki…how…how does Sai know his name…did he meet him before?! How does he know him? What's his relation with him?!_

 _Killua had ran up to Sai's sleeping form, and grabbed both of her shoulders, violently shaking her to wake her up. He needed answers. He demanded the answers. Now. He felt hands trying to pry him away from her, but he shook them off, not leaving his hands from Sai._

" _What do you know?!" He yelled at her. Sai's head only rolled forward in response. Killua was involuntarily shaking. Why was there so many mysteries surrounding Sai? What's going on?!_

* * *

Sai woke up to the warmth on her body. It was late in the afternoon; the sunlight entered through a large window next to her bed, filling the room with a breathtaking warm, golden luminosity. She was in a hotel suite with an IV pole situated next to her again. Along the gentle humming of the air conditioning, she heard the soft, even breathing of another person in the bed next to her.

Gon laid in the bed next to her, both of arms hung in thick, white casts. His head was bandaged in a thick band across his forehead, with patches of band aids on his face. He looked like he took some serious injuries. _What exactly happened to him…? Did he pass the exam?_ Sai thought.

Suddenly, she noticed Satotz sitting in the corner of the room with a book laid open on his lap. Sai immediately sat up. _When did he…? He's using Zetsu!_

"You're awake," the purple suit man said, closing his book. "Like I predicted…you know a bit of Nen, don't you Sai-kun?"

Sai didn't answer him; her muscles tensing in defense. In her eyes, using Zetsu in that close proximity to her was a threat. He intentionally wanted to surprise her. She flared her Ren.

"You'll have to excuse my Zetsu, I only did it to test if you knew Nen. Technically, I'm not supposed to speak of it unless you already knew," Satotz explained and stretched out his arm for a hand shake, not threatened by her hostility. "Congratulations on officially becoming a hunter."

She looked at it apprehensively, still suspicious.

"The exam has ended," Satotz continued, lowering his hand. "Would you like me to fill you in on what happened?"

"What?" Sai said surprised. "Who failed?"

"It was Killua."

"…What? What happened?" Sai creased her brows at the thought. Killua was the last person Sai would think to fail. What on earth could have happened?

"Hmm…let me brief you from the beginning. That way you would understand better."

Satotz started explaining the match that happened after Sai's match with Hanzo. Sai's face was emotionless for the entirety of his explanation, even as he told her the peculiarity of Hisoka's surrender during Kurapika's match, as well as Gon's fearless refusal of defeat during Hanzo's second match. Sai had to admit, the ninja was probably a good man at heart. He must have been driven to rage from losing a second time, hence the reason Gon had two broken arms. Sai could understand where he was coming from. _Although…if Gon was my opponent…would I be able to concede defeat like Hanzo…or go further than what he did, just to earn my victory…?_

She continued to listen to Satotz, of how Bodoro admitted defeat to Hisoka in the next match after Hisoka whispered something to him. Sai put a finger to her chin and pondered at this. _Hisoka couldn't been threatening them…it must have been some sort of bargain…_ she thought.

When Satotz got to the part where Hanzo's third match with Pokkle lasted a mere ten seconds, Sai almost sputtered out a laugh. _Guess a shinobi's patience has his limits too._ Sai thought, smirking inwardly.

Sai continued to listen to Satotz's telling of events, listening intently especially when he was explaining the match between Killua and Illumi. Her eyes widened when he finished. Satotz, seeing Sai's expression, almost regretted in telling her what had happened. Her eyes had teared up and became red and puffy. She hastily wiped her tears away with her sleeve.

"I…have something in my eyes," Sai choked in her tears. She had no idea why she was crying. The tears just fell so naturally and it wouldn't stop. Not even during her past, hellish training with Illumi did she cry. Not even during Mio's torture sessions. Not even when her lungs were half-crushed, and pain shook her body as she gasped for air, for life. Not even when her mom left her in the dump hole of Nostrade's mansion. Never, did she cry. Until now, and it was over something so stupid.

She could clearly see it. The love Illumi has for Killua; it was beautiful. It was painfully strong. The kind of love that was so unconditional and suffocating. To think Illumi could possess such emotions, really makes him seem more human. Sai was bitter and jealous. And angry. Killua was so blessed. He was protected and loved all his life. It wasn't fair.

"Are you okay, Sai-kun?" Satotz asked, concerned if telling the whole story was too much for a boy to handle. "Would you like to rest?"

"No." Sai took a sniff to clear her nose and pulled the IV needle out from her arm. She noticed she was dressed in her same white t-shirt and black pants, only her jacket was taken off. _It's not fair!_

"Where is everyone?" She asked gruffly as she slipped on her black jacket. _It's always Killua!_

"They're in the lobby conference room. Wait, Sai-kun!"

Sai didn't wait. She marched straight to the lobby and swung the door open. _And Killua doesn't even appreciate it!_

All eyes were on her the moment she stepped into the room. She looked straight at Illumi, sitting in the front row; his were the only pair of eyes that weren't on her. _Without Killua…am I useless?!_

Sai was panting. Her legs hurt. Her lungs hurt. Her heart hurt. She doesn't know what she was feeling. When was she so disgustingly emotional. She never needed the emotional comfort from anyone. But why…why was this feeling tearing at her heart.

She bit her lip to stop her eyes from welling up with tears again. Why did she want the attention from Illumi so much? Why was she so jealous of Killua? She didn't want to even think of the possibility…but she knew deep inside. She knew why she was acting this way. She knew why she was crying. She knew why she was feeling so many emotions at once.

She really liked Illumi.

* * *

"You really surprised us there, Sai," Leorio said with a laugh. "Bursting through the doors like that."

They had finished their meeting about the hunter license and stood outside the lobby room. Sai was still grave from her realization, her eyes had been staring at Illumi's broad back the whole time. She had hardly listened to the chairman's explanation. Everything else could wait; it wasn't important. What was important was that the exam had ended…so does that mean they would part ways from now on? Surely, Illumi had more plans to keep her along with him.

"Sorry…" Sai muttered half-heartedly, not really listening. Her eyes were scanning for Illumi, waiting until he came out of the room. As the last hunter to leave the room, Illumi finally was seen exiting the room. But before Sai was able to approach him, another short figure with spikey black hair went up to him before she did.

"Tell me where Killua is," Gon demanded, standing firm in front of Illumi.

Illumi paused for a few seconds and put a finger to his chin. "Fine. I doubt you would make it there anyway. Killua…went home."

Sai widened her eyes. _Don't tell me…he's going to give away the location of his home this easily?!_

"Kukuroo Mountain. Our family lives at the very top," he continued.

"I got it," Gon stated, turning around to walk away after obtaining this information. Kurapika and Leorio followed him but Sai stood her ground. She was staring so fixedly at Illumi that she thought she could blaze a hole through his head. When Gon and the rest of the group were out of earshot, Illumi finally spoke to her.

"Cancel the current mission," he said.

Sai stared at him, unable to respond. She was unable to comprehend his order, or more like, she didn't want to. _Why? Am I not needed anymore…? Because Killua's home now?_

"September 6th. Yorkshin City," Illumi said, as if responding to Sai's dejected feelings. "I have a job then. I'll let you know of your next job."

Sai's insides were bubbling from joy, contrary to her stony poker face. It was another chance, another opportunity to make her life have some sort of purpose. There was now another reason…for her existence. She didn't care what it is, any reason, even selling her soul to the devil or doing devious jobs for Illumi…nothing mattered. As long as she was needed.

She saw Illumi turn around with the graceful pivot on his heel, walking away. Sai put her hands in her pocket and turned around to head towards Gon. _I guess this is goodbye for another six months…Illumi…_

Illumi, who was about to pick up his phone to dial to his mother, hadn't walk a couple of feet before he felt someone near him, hiding in the shadows.

"Don't even think about it." A low, dangerous voice sounded behind of one of the pillars.

"Ah. You noticed?" Illumi said. He should have expected Hisoka out of all people to especially keen on detecting bloodlust.

"He's my prey."

"Who? Sai?"

The magician stood in the shadow with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the column. His eyes were narrowed; his originally yellow eyes losing all hint of its usual playfulness and were instead replaced into dark, murderous slits.

"I got it, I got it." Illumi placed his hands on his hips, listening to the will of the joker. "I've been with you long enough to know your tastes. Sai is getting dangerous though; the Final Phase of the exam proved it. I might have trouble controlling him soon."

"That's fine. That's really…fine," Hisoka said with the look of ecstasy growing on his face again.

Illumi sighed inwardly at his peculiar acquaintance as he continued to walk pass him. He had accepted to work with Hisoka based on their mutual benefits but his obsession with raising his toys could pose a threat to him and possibly to Killua. Sai was changing; he could sense it. She was becoming soft, the type of person Illumi had trained Killua to stay far away from. It would be bad if Killua became influenced by her. But then again, he could continue to control Sai with his needles to alter her personality if he wanted to. That way Hisoka would continue to be in a beneficial relationship with him as well. But he knew his needles would not last long against a Nen user for long. Once Sai realizes his needle, he would have no choice but to kill her.

Illumi this time outwardly sighed. _This is getting troublesome…_ He thought. He picked up his phone from his pocket and dialed to Kikyo.

"Okaa-san? It's me. I'm done with the Hunter Exam. I'll be home soon to start my next job. Mm. I got it. Ja ne."

* * *

"Sai, thanks for coming with us!" Gon said happily. His eyes were clear and warm as he looked at Sai, sincerity reflected brightly on his milk chocolate eyes. She really hated how he had that effect on her. She could have said no to him…but some reason she could never get the words out, even during the entire ride to the airport. She had tried. Multiple times. Gon was just too excited and determined to go to Killua. She didn't have the heart to bail on him. It's not like she had anything better to do anyways…

"…It's nothing," Sai muttered dejectedly as her head leaned against the wall. She was ashamed at her weak willpower against the innocent boy.

"It's this terminal for the airship bound for Republic of Padokea," Kurapika announced, glancing at his boarding ticket to confirm.

The four of them walked towards the airship to board. Sai was treading slowly behind them, not really wanting to come along. She hadn't even figure out what to do with her life ever since Illumi told her she was on her own for the next half year, but here she is, helping another kid from their abusive family…

Immediately boarding the airship, Kurapika noticed Sai's unhappy impression and tried to cheer her up. He knew Sai was a good person at heart, even if she acts standoffish at times. And even though she acts like she doesn't want to come along to rescue Killua, she still came.

"Sai, let's go get some food," Kurapika said gently as he smiled to her.

"…Mm," Sai responded quietly. Here's another person who she can't deny. His princely smile was so bright and kind, it would almost be a crime to say no.

 _All these people…telling me what to do…and yet I can't say no. What's wrong with me…_ Sai thought. But she did know why. It was because they had trusted her now. Trusted her as a friend. Treating her with kindness. Throughout the Hunter Exam, her actions had proved to be worthy enough for them to accept her as a friend. But…was she really worthy enough to be their friend…? Does she even need friends?

"Oi Sai."

She turned around only to feel something shoved in her mouth. Leorio had returned to where they stood with an armful of French fries. His large hands held the four cups of soft drinks for all of them. _Friends…huh._ A corner of Sai's mouth curved upward as she chewed on the fried piece of potato.

* * *

They had arrived at the Republic of Padokea, Killua's hometown. It was completely opposite from what Sai had expected from a place where a family of assassins had thrived. It was a bustling town, full of life and people. Shops owners had lined the streets with their merchandises for tourists. The neatly laid cobblestone path lined the clannish architecture with patches of flowers fronting the houses and the sides of street lamps. In front of them, they saw a woman wrestling the rear bustle of her skirts while lifting the crates of apples to her shop. It was shockingly peaceful and happy. Sai's right eye had started to twitch.

"Excuse me, obaa-san! Can you tell me where Kukuroo Mountain is?" Gon piped at the busty, kind-looking lady.

"Kukuroo Mountain? You should take the bus tour there. It runs once a day but at least you have a guide to show you around," she replied.

"Ah, thank you!"

"Ah…boy! The tour will start in two hours!" The lady yelled to Gon as he was walking away from her shop.

"Thank you, obaa-san!"

Gon turned around and gave everyone a bright smile. They had now discovered a way to get to the infamous Zoldyck's Estate. But what would they do to kill off two hours until then? Sai had an idea.

"I'll be back here when the tour starts," Sai started, looking away from them. She looked at her tattered shirt and jacket. Holes were sporadically littered on her clothes, decorated with splotches of dried blood from the Hunter Exam. She never had a time to change. Needless to say, she was kind of embarrassed to be walking around in a town…looking like a murderer.

"Eh? Where are you going, Sai?" Leorio asked, one of his eyebrows raised. Both Gon and Kurapika also looked at Sai curiously.

Without a word, Sai quickly dashed away into a random shop in hoping they would not follow her. It would be odd to have them accompany her to go clothes shopping…especially with the risk of exposing her secret. She thought it would be a good idea to get a disguise for herself as well, just in case.

The door noisily creaked open as Sai stepped inside. It was an old costume store - a small and old at that. It wasn't the type of store people usually notice or go into. The place reeked of a smell which she can't quite put into words, a mixture of old moth balls and dust. Maybe this is what putting years and years of items together in one place smells like. As she walked farther into the store, various garments caught her eye. Despite the old and dirty condition of the shop, the clothes were in pristine condition. Displayed in the front was a white frilly dress with a pink full skirt that went just below the knees. The three-quarter sleeves were trimmed with lace, and it had a box neckline with another frill of lace in the center, capped with a dainty white bow. Sai stared at the dress with horror. _Who would wear that…?_ She thought, looking at it with disgust at its cuteness.

"Ah, a customer, is it?" A middle-aged man spoke in a hearty, loud voice as he slowly descended the stairs. His sausage fingers slithering down the rail, each finger with a ring that held a large, precious jewel. The edge of his eyes creased into heavy lines of crow's feet as he cracked a disturbing smile at her. "Welcome. I suppose you're looking for a disguise?"

Sai looked at the man with apprehension. She had often seen men like these when she was still working at Nostrade's. She knew this man does underground work, possibly involved with illegal shipments, and maybe he even did shipments with the Nostrade family.

"Yes…I want a disguise that no one can recognize me in. And a spare change of identical clothes like the ones I'm wearing," she replied. She'll just see what he can do first.

"Hahaha! Let's see what I can do! But first…do you have enough money, kid?"

Sai glared at him. "I do. Now get started," she said in a low voice.

The fat man looked at her with doubt written all over his face, but seeing her glare, he decided not to pursue it and started his work. He fumbled through his hangers and looked back at Sai from time to time, as if to gauge what to match her with. Finally, he pulled out a red and black piece of clothing and beckoned her to the fitting room in the back.

"Do you know Light Nostrade?" Sai asked, trying to test his connections as she stepped on the small stool.

"Nostrade? That old man with the fortune telling daughter? Haha! Everyone knows him and hates him."

"Is that so…"

"Acting all that just because he's leeching off his little girl. It's pathetic. It's no wonder most of his household got wiped out recently. Without a doubt, its Zenji that did it."

"Zenji…?"

"That short, bald man with those small sunglasses. He tipped the Phantom Troupe information of the rare valuables in his estate."

Sai took this information in and placed a finger against her chin. _So, the Phantom Troupe is after rare, auctioned items…?_

"Straighten your arm, kid."

She let him put the clothing on her body, piece by piece. From what it looked like, it was a simple kimono, reaching to her ankles. The kimono was wrapped around her body, the left side over the right and secured by a black sash. The kimono was two-tone colored, with the top half being a crimson colored cloth and the bottom half being black with both adorned with gold intricate flower patterns on it.

The man then gathered and braided her white hair into a low ponytail, letting her hair hang elegantly on the sides of her face while adding more hair accessories and trinkets in the process.

"There! Perfect, if I must say so myself. Not bad, eh?" he asked proudly as he shifted a full-length mirror into her view.

Sai's sea-colored orbs widened as she saw the mirror. She looked like a noble lady from a rich household, completely different from her usual brutish and murderous appearance.

"You are now a noble lady. I assure you, no one will be able to recognize you. Are you running away perhaps, little boy?" he asked with a sly grin. He was planning to charge Sai even more for his services.

"Ossan. Do you have contacts? I want to hide my eye color."

"Yes, yes. But I only have the red colored ones left."

"I'll take it."

Sai took the contacts from the shop owner's grubby hands and inserted them in her eyes. She blinked a few times and looked at herself in the mirror. She was completely unrecognizable. Her white hair, now dressed up in a fancy hairstyle, made her seem angelic and noble. And her dark red eyes added an air of mystery and sexiness to her appearance. A corner of her mouth curled into a devious grin. She wanted to test her disguise.

"Oh! You are beautiful, kid. If I didn't see you walking in as a boy, I would've mistaken you as a pretty little girl. Those red eyes…makes you look so stunning."

"Oi. How do I know this disguise would really work?" Sai asked, pretending to be skeptical.

"Trust me, boy. People will only gawk at your beauty. By the way, I placed your new set of normal clothes in the front of the shop. I'll give you a discount of 450,000 zenny, since you're a kid. My shop has the best material."

Sai inwardly snorted at the ridiculous price. She almost feels sad the man, for what she's about to do. "I don't believe you. I need to see people reacting to my disguise."

"Fine, fine. Go take a walk outside and figure it out yourself. Make sure to come back or I'll kick your little ass..."

In a flash, Sai had grabbed a nearby folded hand fan and carried her new set of clothing out the shop. She could hear the man running to catch up to her as he yelled from behind.

She slowly decreased her speed to calm her heartbeat. She was grinning feverishly from the adrenaline. It had been a long time since she had stolen something, but this time was the first time where she actually did it in front of somebody. He wasn't even much of a threat, but it feels great to be powerful and free. Straightening her kimono, she walked slowly and gracefully to act in her new disguise. _I'm a noble lady…a rich lady…graceful…walk slower…and I'll pull out the fan…_

She walked into the main streets and scanning for Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. She felt eyes lingering on her as she walked through the lively town. For someone who is used to using stealth, she hated this uncomfortable attention. _Do I look weird…? I never I shouldn't have trusted that slimy, old geezer…_

At that moment, Sai spotted them. The three of them, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were walking through town, browsing at the many items that the vendors had laid out. Sai smirked to herself as she purposely walked near them, arm's length, expecting them to notice her new getup. Surprisingly, all of them didn't even notice Sai.

Confused and getting frustrated, Sai tried again. This time she bumped into Gon and had her fan knocked to ground. Noticing the collision, Gon turns around to apologize.

"Ah gomen, onee-san! Here's your fan back," Gon said sincerely, handing back her fan. He was looking at her straight in the eye.

Sai stood there, puzzled, now with her fan back in her hands. _They can't recognize me afterall?_ She thought.

"You!" Kurapika yelled, his eyes were glued to Sai the whole time, wide with shock.

Sai jumped from his sudden loud voice. She looked at Kurapika, surprised from seeing such an abrupt reaction from him. _…And now my disguise is exposed already…?_

Kurapika took one slow step before another. He quickly walked in front of Sai, his eyes never leaving her face. His brows were furrowed in confusion but his face still showed a great deal of disbelief…

 _Why is he staring at me…is it because I'm dressed like a girl?_ Sai thought.

Kurapika sudden gripped her shoulders with both of his hands with a tremendous amount of strength. It almost hurt. Sai wondered what has gotten into him. Maybe he was into rich, noble ladies.

"Do…you have any relation to the Kurta…" Kurapika spoke slowly in a low voice, as if he was trying to calm himself down.

"Huh? Why do you ask…?" Sai asked in a gentle voice, still trying to fit in her disguise.

"Your eyes…"

Sai widened her eyes at the realization. She had realized that she caused a misunderstanding. It was her red contacts. This was some coincidence that happened to follow through. Though now, she thought it would be better to take off this disguise and let Kurapika cool off. And if she doesn't want to let them know about their disguise…

"You…there," Sai said in her most courteous and soft voice, trying to get Gon's attention.

"Me?" Gon asked, his head tilted to one side as he pointed to himself.

"Yes. Could I…have a private talk with you?"

"Mm! Sure!"

Sai glanced at Kurapika's shaken form one last time before she walked away with Gon. She felt bad for him, causing him trauma just by testing out her new disguise. She'll think of some way to pay back this favor to him.

"Tch. It's always the younger boys that get the girls…" Leorio muttered under his breath as Sai walked away. _Leorio…you pervert…_

When Gon and Sai were out of sight from Leorio and Kurapika, Sai went close to Gon's left ear and whispered to him.

"It's me, Gon. It's Sai."

"Sai!" Gon exclaimed, his face in surprise. "You're in a disguise? How cool!"

"Shh…not so loud, Gon. I just wanted to test it out," Sai said as she looked around to see if they attracted any attention. "Could you keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone about this."

"Why? You look really, really beautiful, Sai. I almost thought you were a girl!" Gon said as he beamed a smile at her.

Sai stared at the clueless boy and sighed. _Maybe telling him was a bad idea…_

"I'm a boy, Gon."

"Mm…that's true. I got it. I won't tell anyone."

Sai sighed in relief and gave a weak smile back at him.

"But Sai, are you ever going to tell the others? I really want the others to see you like this! It'll be a big surprise!" Gon said, grinning.

"Maybe…in the future…" Sai muttered. _Hopefully…never._

"Yay! I can't wait to see everyone's faces!"

"Uh huh…I'll go and change back. I'll meet you at the tour buses."

"Okay!"

Sai walked into a nearby pub and walked straight to the bathroom. She changed out of her clothes and took the accessories out of her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw her white hair hanging down past her collarbones now. She needed a trim soon…or she wouldn't even pass as a boy anymore. She took off her red contacts and splashed her face with some water. _What am I even doing…getting a disguise? What happened to killing people to solve problems? Am I…changing?_ Sai thought as she looked at herself again in the mirror.

Her eyes widened at her reflection. Her cyan-colored eyes were now in a shade of dark red, even darker than the contacts that she wore just seconds ago. She looked at the red contacts in her hand. This color…was her real eye color. _What the hell?_

She blinked again and saw the red color fade back into her original shade of jade. Her eyes were back to normal again. What had happened? Why did her eyes change color? There were many questions swimming in her head but she brushed them off. Her eyes were back to being cyan, that was that. And that was normal. Maybe she was just seeing things. She took her belongings and left the pub, heading towards the place that she promised to meet Gon.

* * *

"Thank you for taking the Lamentation Tours today. We will now be visiting Kukuroo Mountain, home to the famous Zoldyck family of assassins."

Sai was staring outside the bus, her head leaning lazily against the window. Kurapika sat next to her, staring outside as well. He had stayed quiet about the earlier outbreak and had calmed down with Leorio's help, seeing that he apologized to all of them before they got on the bus. At first, she heard from Leorio that he was adamant on finding that red-eyed girl. But after searching through the town with no avail, he gave up the search as it was near the time for the tour bus to depart. But even though Kurapika seemed to recover from that incident, Sai still felt that he wasn't quite himself since. He was being a little _too_ quiet. And occasionally, she would catch him staring intently at something, his face glowering of hatred. That made her feel a bit guilty, unintentionally toying his emotions like that. Just a _bit_.

Gon sat next to Leorio, who was eyeing suspiciously at the two scruffy looking men sitting at the back of the bus.

"Look…They obviously aren't tourists," Leorio spoke in a hushed tone, leaning forward between Kurapika and Sai.

"Indeed…" Kurapika said, finally snapping out of his trance, and turned around to examine the ruffians.

"They don't really matter, do they…" Sai muttered in a bored tone, not even bothering to turn around. She had noticed them acting suspiciously before they even stepped onto the bus, but they were so weak that Sai didn't even bat an eye a second longer.

Kurapika and Leorio looked at each other at Sai's nonchalance. They trusted her judgement, as she proved herself during the exam, so the both of them relaxed a bit after her comment. Leorio put both his hands up behind him at the nape of his neck and sprawled himself on his seat, getting ready to take the nap as they cruised along the mountain side.

Sai turned her head from the window and took a glance at Kurapika. He was still expressionless and continued to stare outside the window. She thought this was a good time to ask him.

"Do you…always react like that when you see red-colored eyes?" Sai asked.

"Did Leorio tell you? …I'm really sorry. It's just normally…people don't have red eyes. And they just surface a lot of memories…" Kurapika replied, giving a weak smile.

"I heard you saw a red-eyed girl. Are you going to keep looking for her?"

Kurapika gave Sai a sad, yet defeated smile.

"No…I already know my clan has been all murdered. There's no point dwelling over their deaths…That girl I saw in town was probably a coincidence."

Sai let out a silent sigh. So, her disguise was still usable. She made a mental note to not her contacts around Kurapika.

* * *

"This is the front gate of the Zoldyck estate! To enter, you must pass through the door beside the security checkpoint. But no one who's entered has ever returned alive!"

The tour guide's shrilly voice was grating to Sai's ears. _I swear…if she doesn't shut up soon…I'm going to slice her head off…_ Sai thought.

"Heh…A family of assassins that nobody has ever seen. It's just a stupid rumor." One of the ruffians spoke as both of them approached the security guard, carrying their cruddy swords on their shoulders. Sai watched the two of them harass the old guard as they obtained the key to the door and entered inside the estate.

 _Wait a second…why are there two entrances? A large stone gate versus a wooden door. It's almost as if they're telling everyone to enter the security guard's door…_ Sai thought. Then an idea hit her as she flicked her eyes back at the large gate. _It's a trap!_

Zebro, who was on the ground and observing everyone, saw Sai figuring out the deception of the Zoldyck's doors. He smirked at her, at the white-haired boy who was staring intently at the Testing Gate.

Suddenly, they heard a scream beyond the doors where the two thugs had entered. The door was cracked open, revealing a large monstrous paw that dangled two human skeletons from its claws.

The tour guide and all the tourists all shrieked and ran for their lives towards the bus, immediately leaving the premise. The only person not bothered by the pile of bones was Sai. She was too distracted by the animal itself. She thought it was amusing for an animal to be so well behaved. To even self-deliver its meal remains to be cleaned up. It was too cute.

"Who are you?" Zebro asked.

"We're Killua's friends!" Gon answered proudly.

"Killua-bocchan's friends? I'm glad to hear. I've been working here for twenty years, but this is the first time any friends have come to visit. I have to thank you for coming," Zebro said with a bow.

"Ah…don't mention it," Leorio said, embarrassed.

"But I'm afraid I can't let you guys in. You saw the creature's arm right. Its name is Mike, and it only has one goal in mind: to kill all the intruders who comes through this door with the key."

Kurapika who noticed something else amiss, spoke up to the so-called security guard

"But how come you're not attacked when you go in?" Kurapika asked.

Sai looked at Kurapika, surprised that he had the same conclusion as she did. She had figured the real entrance wouldn't be so easy to bypass with something as simple as a key. This _is_ the Zoldyck's Estate. If the small door was fake…then the real gate probably requires not a key, but something that's on the same grandness scale worthy for a famous assassin family.

* * *

"There's seven gates?!" Leorio exclaimed.

"Yes. It's two tons the first gate. And it doubles every door. When Killua-bocchan came back home, he opened up to the third gate."

Sai facepalmed. So, the all famous Zoldyck's wall defense…just requires brute force.

"Three gates?!" Leorio gawked.

"Wow! That's um…twelve tons!" Gon said.

"It's sixteen tons, Gon," Kurapika and Sai said simultaneously. Kurapika looked at Sai for a moment before he did a short laugh.

 _At least he seems back to his normal self…_ Sai thought as she gave him a side glance.

Sai watched Leorio continue to struggle against the large, stone gate. She wasn't surprised when Zebro told them that they weren't strong enough to even move it even an inch. They were then lead to Zebro's home where they are greeted by Zebro's co-worker Seaquant, and then Zebro details that each door to the house weight two-hundred kilograms and a person must be quite fit to enter.

Without paying attention to their shocked faces, Zebro continues to explain that they may use the slippers there, which weigh twenty kilograms a pair. When each of them were offered some tea, they were all surprised when they all struggled to lift the twenty-kilogram cup to their mouths. Zebro informs the group for now on they'll have to wear a fifty-kilogram vest, and when they get used to it, he will increase their weight to them.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Leorio grunted at all the additional weight on his body.

Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon were all on their hands and knees, still trying to balance all the weights on their body without falling.

Sai on the other hand, was calmly sitting on the table, sipping the tea using her twenty-kilogram cup.

Zebro looked at Sai brightly, seeing such a rare potential for a boy this young in age.

"Sai-kun. If you're ready, I can increase the weights on your body. It seems a bit easy for you, don't you think?" Zebro commented, half expecting her to decline.

"Alright," Sai replied, not minding the extra training. This _was_ a bit too easy.

Zebro replaced Sai's slippers and cups with the new weight of forty-kilograms each. He gave her a new vest that weighs a hundred kilograms, which Sai gladly took and slipped it on.

"Sai…are you going to be okay? How much heavier are the weights now…?" Leorio asked, sincerely concerned for her.

"…I think they're around doubled the weight. The slippers and teacup feels around forty-kilograms now. And my vest is probably a hundred," Sai replied as she tried moving around to get used to the new weight of her body.

"That's right. I doubled the weights. This is how we train our butlers too. To live in the estate, we are in constant training every day," Zebro said. "But don't worry, you can take off the vests when you sleep."

"Sai…you're incredible. What kind of a training did you exactly have before?" Kurapika asked.

"…Let's just say my family has…similar tastes with the Zoldycks…" Sai murmured.

"That's amazing, Sai!" Gon said.

The group spent the rest of the night trying to walk around with the weights, occasionally falling flat on their faces. Sai, on the other hand, was already assigned her job from Zebro since she already got used to the weights. It was to mop the floors.

She picked up the mop, which she gauged to be around twenty-five-kilograms, and the thirty-kilograms bucket, and lulled it to the living room. She was in the middle of mopping the floor when she heard Leorio's loud cry of dismay when Zebro told him the bathroom door was five-hundred kilograms.

 _I better not be the doorman for the next few days…_ Sai thought with annoyance.

* * *

After a few hours into the night, Zebro had showed them to their room. The four of them shared a large bedroom, with four separate beds. Leorio and Gon both fell asleep as soon as their bodies hit the bed. Kurapika restrained himself long enough to take off his outer clothes and folded them neatly beside his pillow, before wordlessly slipping into his bed and drifted into a slumber of dead tiredness.

Sai laid on her bed with an arm propped behind her head. She could not sleep. This type of training was not unusual to her, and to be perfectly honestly, her training before was a lot worse. This seemed more like child's play. Sai started to remember Zebro's words of Killua being able to open up to the third gate when he came home. _I wonder how many gates I can open to…_ she thought.

Being excited to test her strength, Sai slipped out of her room and left Zebro's residence. She could sense someone tailing her from the house, and she guessed it was Seaquant trying to see what she was up to. She ignored him. It wasn't like she was doing something…illegal.

Sai arrived in front of the Testing Gate. She did a couple of quick stretches before placing both of her palms against the cold stone door. With a quick inhale of her breath, she pushed with all her might against the door. A few seconds passed before the gate was slowly cracking open, grating loudly against the ground. Sai used more of her leg strength into her push, gritting her teeth with one final thrust. And then, the gate was fully open.

Sai leaned against the open gate, huffing to catch her breath. She had to admit, she probably underestimated it. She had nearly used all her raw strength to open that door. Finally catching her breath, she looked up to examine how many gates she had opened.

"Gate…f-five!" Seaquant exclaimed behind her. His mouth looked like it was almost to the floor and his eyes were as large as saucers.

Sai looked at the man with unamused eyes. _I guess I can't reach gate seven yet…I still need to train more…_ Sai thought, disappointed with herself.

"That's…64 tons…" Seaquant continued in disbelief. "You're…a monster."

Sai ignored his insult and started walking deeper into the Zoldyck's property. _I wonder how many gates Illumi can open…surely not all seven?_ She thought to herself.

"Oi! Don't tell me I didn't warn you. You're going to get yourself killed if you don't stop where you're going!"

Sai disregarded to his warning and continued to proceed her way. _Should I kill this annoying guy? No…I probably shouldn't cause more trouble on someone else's property. This is Illumi's house too. Now…what did the tour guide say? The Zoldyck mansion should be on the peak of the mountain…that should be where Killua is._ Sai thought as she leapt up a tall tree.

The foot of the mountain was covered by a dense jungle and was surrounded by thick clouds. It was going to take a while to reach the top of the mountain. Sai jumped down and picked up her speed, running towards the direction of the inactive volcano. She passed by a smaller mansion, which she assumed it was the servant's or butler's headquarters, and continued to run up the mountain until she could faintly see the outline of a dark, enormous castle at the top.

It was the biggest residence she's ever seen. It was almost like a fortress; being multiple times bigger than the Nostrade estate for sure. The dim lighting against the cold, stone walls made it seem eerie and uninhabited. As if it was haunted.

Sai didn't waste any time appreciating the grandness of Killua's home, and silently dashed ahead and pressed her body against the wall, hidden well in the shadows. There was some serious lack of lighting on the perimeter of the Zoldyck's mansion, but her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness as she darted her eyes around to see a way to soundlessly break in. There were no one standing guard at the entrance. Or any sign of anyone. Sai really started to question the security of this place.

As soon as she relaxed her guard and took a step, she spotted a small beam of red light shining at her from the ground. She peered closer to it and discovered it was actually a rock, with a mechanical eyeball that was now eyeing her up and down. It looked at her for a few seconds before its eyeball started repeatedly flashing a bright red light. This flashing immediately came with loud, ear-piercing sirens ringing throughout the Zoldyck mansion, allowing everyone know of the young intruder.

Panicking, Sai dashed away from the blinking rock, which turns out to be a hidden security camera, and attempted to enter a nearby window in the mansion to temporarily hide. Luckily, she spotted a large window that was left half-open. Without thinking twice, she swiftly leapt through the window and hid herself in the corner of the room, behind some large computers.

The loud siren was slightly muffed in this room, which she appreciated. But there were things in the room...she found quite strange. The walls of the room were lined with bookshelves, but instead of books, there were a vast array of manga, anime, video games, and a very extensive female figurine collection. Even life-sized ones. Their plastic faces seemed to almost have an evil glint to them from the dim lighting of the computer screens. The floor was also littered with dirty food wrappers and empty cups.

 _My god, who lives here…? It's definitely not Illumi's room…_ Sai thought, half disgusted at the state of the room.

"Damn it! Stupid parents! Always spoiling Kil." A large man entered the room, slamming the door closed behind him. He had a round looking face with short-trimmed middle-parting black hair and black squinty eyes. His large stomach stretched out his pink dress shirt to the point where the buttons were threatening to pop off.

"Damn it!" Milluki said again, slamming his fists on his computer desk as he sat down on his chair, furiously typing something on his computer.

Suddenly, he felt something cold and sharp against his neck. He immediately froze, slowly craning his head to see who was behind him. He found a pair of dark, narrow eyes staring back at him, like chips of emerald ice.

"Don't move," Sai said in a low voice, her blade was flush against his skin. Just a bit more pressure and it would have cause his red liquid to spill. "Where's Killua?"

"Kil? I was just with him. Are you one of his friends?" Milluki asked in a tone of mockery. He had relaxed his guard when he only saw a kid with a short sword. "I'm surprised you made it here this fast. But it doesn't matter…the butlers will catch you soon."

"Is that so…" Sai said, letting her blade cut through his skin. "If you won't tell me where he is…I guess your precious collection will have to suffer."

She saw him bite his lips in nervousness, and that's when she knew she had hit right on his weakness.

"Oh? What's this? Is this the limited edition Miku in a bikini figurine?" Sai said, acting surprised. She was standing next to a life-sized figurine with long sea-green long hair in pigtails. It was nearly the same size as Sai herself.

"You know who she is? Do you know how much she costed?! It was worth five of my jobs! But it was so worth it…" Milluki gushed.

"Hmm…it would be a shame if she broke…"

"W-What…What are you doing…Stay away!" Milluki exclaimed, freaking out as he saw Sai walk closer to his precious Miku with a sword in her hand.

"Where's Killua?" Sai asked again.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you! He's in solitary confinement! It's down the hallway; go straight and turn two right turns and you should see a metal door," he quickly said, spilling out Killua's location right away.

Sai smirked and lowered her sword. That had worked better than she thought.

"Thanks fatty. I'll be sure to tell you when I see the limited edition Miku in a yukata figurine in the future," Sai said before leaving his room.

She saw a glimpse of his round, overjoyed face before the door closed behind her.

* * *

"Oi," Sai said.

Sai had followed Milluki's directions and arrived in the room where Killua was hung by the chains on his wrists. To be honest, Sai thought his whole house reminded of her of the Nostrade's basement. His head was lowered from unconsciousness. His naked torso was littered with whip wounds and smears of his own blood. Sai wondered if he was still alive.

She started poking at one of his open wound on his chest. He still didn't have any reaction. So, she started to poke him harder. Still no reaction. She pressed her palm against his chest to check for his heartbeat. She felt his nicely muscled chest with satisfaction. His heart was beating steadily.

Then was he trying to mess with her? Clearly, he was alive. Frustrated of how he deceived her, Sai gave him a punch in the head.

"Ow…What the? Sai? What are you doing here?" Killua said surprised, trying to blink his sleep away.

"Coming to save you, stupid."

"That doesn't seem like something you would do…"

"…Gon made me come."

"I see. Well, I should be out of here soon. Tell Gon to wait for me for a while."

"…Alright."

"Can you escape by yourself?"

"Just worry about yourself," Sai said. This earned a grin from Killua.

"By the way…what's your relationship with my brother?" he asked.

"…Just an acquaintance," Sai answered vaguely. Illumi had clearly told her to not tell anyone, especially Killua of their relationship. And especially about her mission.

"I wouldn't get too close with him," Killua said.

"Hmm? Not too close to your brother, are you?" Sai said jokingly.

"Enough already. Just listen to me!"

"…Is he home?" Sai asked, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

"I don't know. Did you even hear what I said? Stay away from him!"

"Hai, hai…Later then."

 _Guess Gon was worrying too much._ Sai thought as she entered back into the hallway, closing the door behind her. _It's kind of cute when Killua expresses his concerns for somebody...I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that…as a friend…_

The sirens had ceased its screeching, making Sai believe that they had given up on the search for the intruder. She leapt through the dark stone corridor, trying to find the exit. Now, she just must go back and tell Gon what had happened.

In another room, four Zoldycks stood in front of an array of security monitors, examining her movements in the mansion.

"Mama! There! She was in my room, and she threatened to break Miku if I didn't tell her where Kil was," Milluki exclaimed as he pointed to her on the screen.

"So that's Kil's friend?" Kikyo said.

"Ah, him? Sai's a boy," Illumi said.

"Eh? But I saw her up close. And her hair is past her shoulders, you know," Milluki stated.

"Mil, your statement is invalid. I have long hair," Illumi said in his monotone.

"Oh right…that's a shame then. I thought Sai was pretty enough to be a girl. Oh, and did you know? She knows about Miku and my other figurines too-"

"Mil, shut up," Kikyo said.

"This Sai person…is it the one you trained at Nostrade, Illu?" Silva asked.

"Yes. I also told him to keep an eye on Kil during the Hunter Exam. And later, I was going to use him to make Kil believe that he doesn't need friends."

"Good work, Illu," Zeno said as he entered the room. "For someone who is going to lead the future for the family, we need to mentally strengthen him too."

"I agree. He may be the most talented Zoldyck, but in the end, he's too moody. He's too psychologically weak if he thinks he needs friends," Milluki said matter-of-factly.

"Hmm…Illu, continue to make Sai keep an eye on Kil, and bring forth your plan. We may need to use Sai in the future to make Kil grow stronger," Silva said, putting his hand against his chin to think.

"I got it," Illumi replied.

"One more thing…I keep having this feeling," Zeno said as he scratched his beard.

"What, Grandpa Zeno?" Milluki asked.

"Sai…keeps reminding me of Kikyo when she was younger."

* * *

 **A/N** **: Ohoho, I wonder why there's similarities between the two of them~ And did anyone catch the part where her eyes turned red? :3 That's going to be a huge plot development later, just saying~**

 **So far just to clarify, Sai has realized her feelings for Illumi. It's not quite a romantic type of affection, but it's definitely a strong feeling that she has for him. I think it's interesting to see Sai grow from a kid to an adolescent, trying to figure out things herself and experience for the first time. (And we know how love is sooo complicated.) Plus, it'll be interesting to see how that affection from Sai will carry over to some of the other characters as well. ;)** **Since Sai hasn't had any type of nurture in her childhood except from her mom (which then she was abandoned), Illumi's role as a mentor to train her gave her the notion that he "cared" for her. We'll find out if that's true later~**

 **I must apologize for the slow updates. I am a slow writer…and there's still a whole bunch of Sai's past that's linked with other characters that I haven't revealed yet…hehe…so stay tuned for next chapter! *evil laugh***

 **Sneak peek of next chapter:** **Chapter 10: Heaven's Arena x And x Water Divination** **. So yep! Next chapter will reveal Sai's aura type and her Hatsu! (Finally, I know). It's going turn bloody soon…hehe. Oh, did I mention that Sai's going to finally meet the Phantom Troupe?**

 **Please rate and review, as always! ^_^**


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